The death of the English fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood at the age of 81 on December 29 2022, has not only moved the fashion industry, but the world. Through her designs and her activism, Westwood had a profound impact on fashion and culture.
I, like so many others, credit Westwood for inspiring my passion for fashion. As a teenager, I spent countless Saturdays wandering down the Kings Road in London with the intention of ending up at Westwood’s World’s End store. On these trips I would stroll past groups of punks adorned in bondage trousers, ripped shirts (undoubtedly influenced by Westwood) and spiky hair.
I remember vividly the quirky interior with wonderful clothing and Westwood, herself, often sitting in the store. My first Westwood purchase was an Anglomania tartan waistcoat, which I am wearing now as I write this piece. It is adorned with a pattern that has become a Westwood signature – The MacAndreas tartan, which Westwood named after her husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler. The tartan was given official recognition by The Scottish Register of Tartans in 1993.
