One of my Favourite Brands

a little inside/backgrounds into one of my favourite brands Vivienne Westwood.

where it all began…

The mid 1970s saw the start of what would become a brief yet highly influential punk rock movement. In London, one of the world’s global fashion capitals. Punk movement was a key player in shaping British fashion today. A time that for some can be regarded a moment of excitement and cultural genius. Although the origins of punk can still be debated, one thing that cannot be questioned is that the followers of this discouraging subculture wanted to be seen and make a loud bold statement.

Two individuals in punk who could be argued to be the most influential names were Malcolm McLaren and ‘mother of punk’ Vivienne Westwood. Both in their own right were big names in British culture and fashion at the time, and still remain so to this day.

McLaren and Westwood originally opened their first shop ‘let it rock’ in 1971 at 430 Kings Road where Westwood made and sold Teddy boy clothing, also selling 1950s rock’n’roll records and memorabilia. By 1972 this quickly became known as ‘TooFast to Live Too Young to Die’. Where Westwood switched styles to biker clothing,heavy on zips and leather. 430 Kings Road faced another transformation to become ‘Sex’ bringing in rubber and leather clothing. they used the slogan ‘rubberwear for theoffice’. During this time punk styles were evolving and shaping into the unapologetic and expressive styles we remember today.

Another substantial influence in shaping this movement were the infamous band, The Sex Pistols. They were under the management of Vivienne Westwood’s business partner McLaren. When the Sex Pistols came onto the scene in 1976, they were the biggest name in punk and gave light to the rebellious views in society and sparked

the beginning of something legendary. The style of the Sex Pistols reflected the same as the shop ‘Sex’ owned by McLaren and Westwood. The sex pistols wore Westwood’s t-shirt designs, such as union jack design with the works ‘anarchy in the UK’ at the forefront with then a reference to ‘Sex Pistols’, this display of the union jack matched with these words tied in with the title of one of the sex pistols songs ‘god save the queen’ from their album Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the SexPistols. Other of her designs that they famously wore were strong statements, depicting the swastika, this reference to the Nazi movement puts two fingers up to the previous generation many of whom endured the second world war. Showing a hatred for the older generation for doing nothing about the mismanaged world they lived in.

In years to come as the punk movement began to burn out, Vivienne Westwood started to untie herself from the reputation the punk movement had made for itself over the years and throw herself into the world of high fashion. This began with her catwalk debut in 1981, leaving the name sex behind and continuing under her own name. this collection looked back in history and took inspiration from earlier times such as the French Revelation, leading to the third world inspired pirate collection. This brought about both critical and commercial success.

Vivienne Westwood continued to rise to new heights in the fashion industry, her work becoming more structured and more feminine. Her collections being presented in London, New York, Paris and so on. In 1990 she went on to win the title, British designer of the year. The Westwood we see today has come a long way from the woman you could find at 430 Kings Road, her clothes have become far more wearable, still pioneering the idea that fashion is about more than just clothes.