Following the passing of the “undisputed Queen of British fashion,” numerous tributes to Dame Vivienne Westwood came in.
In London, she passed away “peacefully and accompanied by her family,” according to a statement from her design firm.
In the 1970s, Westwood built a name for herself with her provocative punk and new-wave designs, and she went on to dress some of the biggest personalities in fashion.
Marc Jacobs, a fellow designer, stated that he was “heartbroken” and that she “never failed to surprise and stun.”
On Instagram, he paid respect to her life and efforts by writing: “You did it initially. Always… I continue to learn from your remarkable words and creations.”
Bella Hadid, who walked Vivienne Westwood’s final catwalk during Paris Fashion Week in October, referred to the designer as “the sun” of the fashion industry and expressed gratitude for having been in her orbit.
“To the coolest, most fun, incredible, modest, creative, badass, clever, and EPIC human ever to walk the earth… rest in peace and love, “Hadid wrote.
Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood’s spouse and creative collaborator stated after the announcement: “I shall carry Vivienne in my heart moving forward.
“We worked until the last minute, and she gave me lots of tasks to complete.”
Westwood rose to fame with her androgynous designs, slogan T-shirts, and disrespect for the establishment.
She was also well-known for bringing subjects she cared about, such as climate change, to the catwalk.
In 2006, the designer was named a dame for her contributions to fashion.
Westwood, who was born in Derbyshire, taught elementary school before opening the clothes store Let It Rock on King’s Road in Chelsea with her then-partner Malcolm McLaren in the early 1970s.
Later, the firm was renamed Sex, and McLaren began managing the Sex Pistols, a punk music band comprised of store regulars. In 1976, they rose to stardom wearing Westwood and McLaren designs.
One store employee was a young American who later became the Pretenders’ lead singer. Chrissie Hynde, in a tribute, stated that the world was “already less intriguing” without Westwood.
Boy George, who met Vivienne Westwood for the first time in the early 1980s, described her as “wonderful and inspiring” and “without a doubt… the undisputed Queen of British fashion.”
Victoria Beckham, a fashion designer, and Spice Girl described herself as a “renowned designer and campaigner.”
On Instagram, actress Kim Catrall referred to her as a “genuine talent who never lost her Northern grit.” She told a story about Vivienne Westwood’s “generosity and kindness” in producing three costumes for the Sex and the City actress in three days so she could attend film premieres when other designers’ creations were inappropriate.
The supermodel Claudia Schiffer stated that Vivienne Westwood’s “unique voice will be irreplaceable and lost,” while the musician Billy Idol, who rose to popularity on the London punk music scene, tweeted: “RIP it will take me a little while to process this…”
The Victoria & Albert Museum, which houses several of Westwood’s creations, praised her as a “truly revolutionary and rebellious fashion force.”
Secretary of Culture Michelle Donelan tweeted: “Vivienne Westwood was and will continue to be a fashion icon in the United Kingdom.
In the 1970s, her punk style rewrote the rule book, and she was universally praised for remaining true to herself throughout her life.
In 1981, Westwood launched her first formal fashion presentation known as the Pirate Collection, and she continued to draw inspiration from British and French history.
In 1992, she married Kronthaler, a former student who was 25 years her junior. In later years, he was increasingly responsible for design work as creative director of her company.
In the 2000s, Westwood designed wedding dresses for the likes of model Dita Von Teese, who wore her purple gown to marry rocker Marilyn Manson, and Princess Eugenie, who wore Westwood designs at Prince William and Catherine’s wedding.
Additionally, her designs appeared in the 2008 film adaptation of Sex And The City.
Notable moments on the runway include her nine-inch platform shoes, which infamously caused model Naomi Campbell to fall.
Westwood became a strong advocate for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is battling extradition to the United States to face Espionage Act charges. In July 2020, she wore a canary-yellow outfit and a large birdcage to warn of an Assange “stitch up.”
Stella Assange, whose wedding dress was designed by Vivienne Westwood, praised him as a “champion of the anti-establishment.” She described Westwood as a “wonderful friend” and “the best of Britain” on behalf of her husband, who is incarcerated in Belmarsh jail.
