Fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood has died at the age of 81, her representatives have said.
She died peacefully surrounded by her family in Clapham, South London, today, a statement said.
The 81-year-old’s husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler said: “I will continue with Vivienne in my heart.
“We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with.
“Thank you darling.”
The pioneering fashion designer made a name for herself on the fashion scene in the 1970s, with her androgynous designs, slogan t-shirts and irreverent attitude towards the establishment.
When awarded an OBE in 1992, Westwood wore a perfectly tailored skirt suit with a grey matching hat, but no knickers underneath. She later said: “I met a man who worked with the Queen and he said she was rather amused by it.”
She is responsible for some of fashion’s most famous designs – including her take on the corset, the ‘mini-crini’ – a shortened version of the Victorian crinoline dress – and Carrie Bradshaw’s bridal dress in the 2008 Sex And The City film.
Westwood also made a name for herself as an activist, staging public protests to raise awareness around causes close to her heart, including fracking and Julian Assange.
