Vivienne Westwood: The Modern Punk
Times of Bennett | Updated: Apr 02, 2023 17:14
By-Gunavit Kaur
“When we started to do punk, we put all of these things together to create the look of an urban guerrilla — a rebel.”
Westwood helped create punk as a style and a movement. The British designer was one the most loved style icon, before punk she dressed models with romantic corsets and was inspired by Victorian and Regency fashion. Her collections looked like it was inspired by pirates, witches, or the heroines of Watteau paintings but she turned the tables for the fashion industry for the new generation with the punk style for which she was famous in the 1970s and it was brought on with the help of her relationship with Malcolm McLaren who was managing the sex pistols its history is combined with Westwood ’s boutique called Sex, where she designed the famous top a distressed muslin top emblazoned with Queen Elizabeth II's portrait and the infamous Destroyed T-shirt that featured a swastika and an upside-down crucified Jesus. Vivienne was inspired by 1960s bikers and, wanted to provoke young punks into political action and believed her clothes represented her own views. Westwood’s designs were meant to "confront the status quo." By dressing like a punk, "basically you are insulting yourself, but you're also clearing yourself of all egotism” she said, Westwood, became a dedicated activist beyond fashion .She famously pretended to be Margaret Thatcher in 1989, who opposed social welfare programs, she told fans to invest in long-lasting pieces and also removed fur from her line, and produced vegan handbags. Westwood has also used her platform to raise awareness around many topics, including environmentalism and the preservation of indigenous cultures. Her boldness and creativity made her an icon of punk culture, inspiring generations of young designers and other artists who are not afraid to take risks and challenge the status quo now that's Vivienne Westwood .
“When we started to do punk, we put all of these things together to create the look of an urban guerrilla — a rebel.”
