Vivien Westwood co-created Punk! Why you wanna know? But Punk comes from the Sex Pistols, right?! Yes, you are right! BUT, Vivienne Westwood had a lot to do with them. She had relationship with Malcom McLaren, the manager of this so famous band! Beginning her career as a teacher at primary school, she later on becomes a fashion icon, thanks to the inspiration of Malcom.
Sex Pistols:
She has always been interested in fashion and started to sew clothes for herself and for the band. Later on she opened a shop to sell her clothes. This Shop has changed a lot over the time. Look at these name changes:
Now it is called “World’s End”, but it has formerly been called „Seditionaries“, “Sex” and „Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die“ among many other names.
The style she chose for punk fashion was easy, she tore clothes apart and sewed them back together in a different way. Part of the fashion was also to net stockings, shirts with provocative designs, lots of latex, zippers and of cause safety pins. Her clothes have been worn by prostitutes, models and people in general, that wanted to provoke, like anarchists.
Malcom & Vivienne
Also this very sarcastic “God save the queen” shirt is by Vivienne. It stands in relation to the so called song of the Sex Pistols. But nevertheless the queen honored her with the Order of the British Empire. Not to miss the chance, of being a very provocative person, Westwood came to visit the queen without wearing underwear.
Vivienne still being a rebel at heart, shares a motto, that we would definitely follow: „Every time I read a book instead of looking at a magazine, go to the art gallery instead of watching TV, go to theatre instead of cinema, I fight for Active Resistance to Propaganda.“