Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Vivienne Westwood

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Vivienne Westwood made an impact.

Dame Vivienne Westwood was a highly influential English fashion designer and businesswoman credited with popularizing punk and new wave fashion. Her designs challenged convention and pushed boundaries, solidifying her status as a major figure in the fashion world. In 2022, she was recognized as one of Britain's most influential artists of the last 50 years.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1958: Family Moved to Harrow

In 1958, Vivienne Westwood's family relocated to Harrow, Greater London. She briefly attended the Harrow Art School, taking a jewellery and silversmith course, before leaving and eventually becoming a primary-school teacher and selling her own jewellery at a stall on Portobello Road.

1971: Opening of Let It Rock Boutique

In 1971, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren opened Let It Rock, their first boutique, which incorporated influences from the youth subculture fashions of the 1950s, and also included clothing, music, and décor of the immediate postwar era.

1971: Continued Teaching and Clothing Creation

In 1971, Vivienne Westwood continued to teach and create clothes which were designed by Malcolm McLaren.

1972: Let It Rock Re-fashioned to Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die

In 1972, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's boutique, Let It Rock, was refashioned into Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die, in homage to the death of James Dean. The new design inspirations focused on the rocker aesthetic of the 1960s, including sleeveless T-shirts bearing statements like ‘PERV’ and ‘ROCK’.

1974: Reopening of Boutique as Sex

In 1974, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren re-modelled their boutique and reopened it as Sex. The pieces sold were intentionally abrasive and challenging, designed with fetish and sado-masochism themes, seeking to provoke the middle class and inspire punks into political action.

1976: Sex Transforms into Seditionaries

In 1976, the boutique Sex transformed into Seditionaries (Seditionaries: Clothes for Heroes). Clothing retailed at Seditionaries retained the familiar references of Sex, including historicism, the challenging of gender norms, and fetish, and included bondage trousers and 'unravelling' loose-knit jumpers made of mohair, and long-sleeved tops fashioned from soft muslins.

1980: Boutique Renamed Worlds End

In 1980, Vivienne Westwood's boutique, originally managed with Malcolm McLaren, changed its name to Worlds End after a short period of closure. It remains in its original location at 430 Kings Road, Chelsea, London to this day.

1980: Vivienne Westwood Started Using The Orb Logo

In the late 1980’s, Vivienne Westwood commenced use of a logo which acknowledged her connections with and affection for the Scottish cloth, Harris Tweed. Despite initial mixed reactions, both brands have subsequently collaborated successfully.

1981: Pirate Fashion Collection

In 1981, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood showed their first fashion collection, Pirate, to the media and potential international buyers, which combined 18th and 19th century dress, British history and textiles with African prints.

1981: New Romantic Period

Vivienne Westwood dubbed the period 1981–85 as the "New Romantic" era, creating the look for the band Adam and the Ants.

1982: Punkature Collection

In late 1982, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood released the Punkature collection in Paris and London.

1982: Buffalo/Nostalgia Of Mud Collection

In spring 1982, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood released the Buffalo/Nostalgia Of Mud collection in Paris and London.

1983: Witches Collection

In early 1983, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood released the Witches collection in Paris and London.

1983: Worlds End 1984 (Hypnos) Collection

In late 1983, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood released the Worlds End 1984 collection, later renamed Hypnos, in Paris and London.

1984: Worlds End: Clint Eastwood Collection

In late 1984, Vivienne Westwood showed one more collection under the Worlds End label: Clint Eastwood.

1985: Inspiration from Petrushka Ballet

In 1985, Vivienne Westwood took inspiration from the ballet Petrushka and started designing the mini-crini, an abbreviated version of the Victorian crinoline.

1985: Worlds End: Clint Eastwood Collection

In early 1985, Vivienne Westwood released the Clint Eastwood collection from Worlds End label.

1987: Mini-Crini Design Inspired Puffball Skirts

By 1987, Vivienne Westwood's mini-crini had a mini-length, bouffant silhouette that inspired the puffball skirts widely presented by more established designers such as Christian Lacroix.

1987: 'Harris Tweed' Collection Launch

In Autumn-Winter 1987/88, Vivienne Westwood showcased the 'Harris Tweed' collection. The collection is credited with reviving its use as a fashion fabric. She also adopted the use of the Orb logo, similar to the Orb Mark of the Harris Tweed Authority, which sparked controversy.

1988: The Pagan Years

Vivienne Westwood dubbed the period 1988-91 as "The Pagan Years", shifting her design focus to parody the upper class.

1993: Designed Outfits for Duran Duran Tour

In 1993, Vivienne Westwood designed many of the colorful suits and outfits that Duran Duran wore during their tour for The Wedding Album, and in the music videos for "Ordinary World", "Come Undone" and "Too Much Information".

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2002: Latimo was set up.

In 2002, Latimo was set up, which Westwood controlled as the majority shareholder in her companies.

2002: Sale of Trademark Rights to Latimo

In 2002, Vivienne Westwood's UK business sold the rights to her trademarks to Luxembourg-based Latimo, which she controlled, for £840,000.

September 2005: Westwood launches 'I AM NOT A TERRORIST' T-shirts

In September 2005, Westwood collaborated with Liberty, a British civil rights group, to launch limited-edition T-shirts and baby wear bearing the slogan 'I AM NOT A TERRORIST, please don't arrest me' in support of habeas corpus.

2005: Dita Von Teese wore a purple Westwood gown

In 2005, Dita Von Teese wore a purple Westwood gown for her formal wedding ceremony when she married Marilyn Manson.

2007: Design of Academic Gown for King's College

In 2007, Vivienne Westwood was approached by the Chair of King's College London to design an academic gown for the college.

2008: Westwood designs academic gowns for King's College

In 2008, Westwood designed 20 new academic gowns and hoods for King's College London students to wear at their graduation ceremonies.

2008: Unveiling of Academic Gowns

In 2008, the Vivienne Westwood-designed academic dresses for King's College were unveiled.

July 2011: Collections Presented at The Brandery Fashion Show

In July 2011, Vivienne Westwood's collections were presented at The Brandery fashion show in Barcelona.

March 2012: Agreement to End Franchise Relationship with Hervia

In March 2012, Vivienne Westwood Group reached an agreement to end a franchise relationship with Manchester-based Hervia, which operated seven stores for the fashion chain. The settlement led to a significant increase in Vivienne Westwood Ltd's pre-tax profits.

2014: Westwood invests in Trillion Fund

In 2014, Westwood acquired a controlling interest in the equity crowdfunding platform Trillion Fund.

March 2015: Statement on Business Affairs and Personal Values

In March 2015, Vivienne Westwood stated, "It is important to me that my business affairs are in line with my personal values. I am subject to UK tax on all of my income".

March 2015: Opening of Manhattan Outpost Announced

In March 2015, Vivienne Westwood's company announced it would open a three-story outpost in midtown Manhattan in New York City.

December 2015: Vivienne Westwood Ltd Operations

As of December 2015, Vivienne Westwood Ltd operated 12 retail stores in the UK, including an outlet store in Bicester Village, and 63 Westwood shops worldwide.

2016: Opening of Paris Shop

In early 2016, Vivienne Westwood opened a 3,200-square-foot shop in Paris, located in a building that also housed the company's offices and showrooms in Rue Saint-Honoré.

2019: Trillion Fund dissolved

In 2019, the Trillion Fund, in which Westwood had a controlling interest, was dissolved.

2020: CIRCA Commission and Piccadilly Lights Film

In 2020, to celebrate her 80th birthday, CIRCA commissioned Vivienne Westwood to present a video work on the Piccadilly Lights screen in Piccadilly Circus, London. The ten-minute film, created with her brother, featured a rewritten rendition of "Without You" from My Fair Lady, delivering a warning about environmental catastrophes and the arms trade.

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