Vivienne Westwood, fashion designer who popularized punk styles, dies at 81

Vivienne Westwood, the fashion designer widely credited with popularizing the punk styles of the 1970s, has died. She was 81.

Westwood died peacefully Thursday at her home in London, surrounded by her family, according to a representative.

Her family says that she continued to design, work on her art, and write a book up until the day she died. "I will continue with Vivienne in my heart," said her husband and creative partner, Andreas Kronthaler in a statement. "We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with. Thank you darling."

Westwood first rose to prominence in the U.K. punk rock scene of the 1970s. She made clothes for a King's Road boutique, known as SEX, that she ran with then-husband Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols. "I was messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a spoke in the system in some way," she once said of her designs.

Her earliest designs were defined by androgyny, T-shirts sporting handwritten slogans, and purposeful imperfections, such as sewing seams and labels to the outside of the clothing to showcase the construction of the piece.

Ian Gavan/Getty Images Vivenne Westwood

Westwood went on to become a major force in the fashion world, producing collections that were shown in Paris and London throughout the 1980s. Her clothing has been worn by the likes of Marion Cotillard, Pharrell Williams, and Princess Eugenie of the British royal family.

She collaborated with Richard Branson to design the crew uniforms for the Virgin Atlantic staff. Perhaps her most iconic contribution to pop culture was Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker) wedding gown in the first Sex and the City movie in 2008.

Westwood was also a noted political activist, often using her designs to champion causes she was passionate about, including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change, and civil rights.

Born Vivienne Swire on April 8, 1941, in Derbyshire, England, she studied jewelry-making, silver-smithing, and art as a young woman, but she decided to pursue a career in teaching, feeling there was not a path forward for her as a working-class girl in the art world. She acquired her now iconic surname from her first husband, Derek Westwood, in 1962.

Her first marriage ended when she met Malcolm McLaren. She continued to teach in the early days of their relationship while also designing clothing with him for their shop and his band the Sex Pistols.

SEX became a popular meeting place for members of the London punk scene, and punk-style icons, like Viv Albertine, sported Westwood's designs. The Sex Pistols frequently wore Westwood's clothes, synthesizing fashion and music, and making her a central figure in the punk scene.

"Vivienne and Malcolm use clothes to shock, irritate and provoke a reaction but also to inspire change," wrote Albertine in her memoir. "Mohair jumpers, knitted on big needles, so loosely that you can see all the way through them, T-shirts slashed and written on by hand, seams and labels on the outside, showing the construction of the piece; these attitudes are reflected in the music we make. It's OK to not be perfect, to show the workings of your life and your mind in your songs and your clothes."

After her partnership with McLaren ended, Westwood changed up her style, embodying what became known as the "New Romantic" and "The Pagan Years" periods. Her designs became a commentary on hyper-femininity, sending up styles like the crinoline and the mini-skirt.

Throughout her career, Westwood was known for her polarizing political views and activism. She repeatedly defended Julian Assange as a hero, even visiting him in his political asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

In the 2000s, she created a manifesto, Active Resistance to Propaganda, a meditation on the pursuit of art in relation to the human predicament and climate change.

In late 2022, she founded alongside her sons and granddaughter The Vivienne Foundation (set to launch in 2023), which will honor, protect, and continue the legacy of her life, design, and activism.

"The Foundation's goal is to raise awareness and create tangible change working with NGOs," read a statement. "Built upon tour pillars: Climate Change, Stop War, Defend Human Rights and Protest Capitalism. The Vivienne Foundation exists to create a better world and implement Vivienne plans."

Westwood also co-authored several books, including Fashion in Art: The Second Empire and Impressionism, exploring links between the fashion and art worlds. Vivienne Westwood Opus 2008 limited edition was published for London Fashion Week in 2008, and it documents Westwood's work while also remaining a unique work of art in and of itself.

She was awarded an OBE in 1992. A 2018 documentary film Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist gave audiences a glimpse into Westwood's life and her ethos.

She is survived by her third husband Andreas Kronthaler, whom she has been married to since 1992, as well as two children, Ben Westwood and Joseph Corré.

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