She starts making her own clothes at 11/12 YO.
She wants to change things that's why she starts to use the punk style to raise political questions, sometimes religious and climate emergency questions through fashion. Vivienne Westwood is expanding into several fields, not afraid to face obstacles, like an avant-garde, she makes her own place in the fashion industry.
She starts working with the sex pistols, and the boysband group wear her clothes while performing on stage : beginning of an insight of renowned.
Revolution(s)
A term very linked with her work,
She works on the climate revolution and makes some handcrafted headpieces in paper, that are kind of funny but related to this chaos. The paper is a material affordable to every one, and so, every one can creat their own fashion, and at the same time their own way to proteste by following Vivienne Westwood in her path.
Revolutionizing clothing, but also accessories like hats or shoes, which are very new in fashion at this time. Headpieces and Shoes are worn to symbolize, empower, and embody revolution, punk ideas, and chaotic identities.
The Fame and focus is not only on the clothes but also at differents parts of the body.
Tartan fabric is very recurrent in the collections of Westwood. This fabric reminds us of Scottish culture and is a sign of rebellion and non-conformity.
Vivienne doesn't just create a new fabric with a new pattern over it. She uses a traditional fabric, tartan, and modernizes it to embodies the renew/ re-nouveau and reborn. Because if she created her own patterns, we could not link it with something else, so she is very clever by re-using old pattern or old type of shoes and deforme and change them.
Vivienne brings something new to the table while also playing with the historical story of this fabric, bringing ideas of renewal, change, and evolution.
Famous picture of Naomi Campbell wearing the Tartan Dress, at the left.