Vivienne Westwood, Iconic British Fashion Designer, Dead at 81

'The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better.'

Legendary British fashion designer and activist Vivienne Westwood has died. She was 81.

Her eponymous fashion house Twitter page confirmed the heartbreaking news, writing: “Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better.”

A cause of death was not immediately revealed.

Her husband and longtime creative partner, Andreas Kronthaler, also issued a statement via email about her passing, per NME, stating, “I will continue with Vivienne in my heart. We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with.”

Westwood's career took off during the punk explosion of the 1970s, with her radical and new-wave designs rocking the fashion world and cementing her as an icon. The self-taught designer also created designs based on the ideas of Malcolm McLaren, the manager of pop rock band Sex Pistols, who she formed a professional partnership with early in her career. 

Her rebellious nature also inspired her designs, which often subverted society’s expectations and included plaid patterns and safety pin embellishments.

Her desire to make the world a better place led to her activism as she lobbied for environmental reforms and created the Climate Revolution in 2012.

Westwood was born in Glossop, England in 1941. Prior to taking over the fashion world, she was a schoolteacher who married Derek Westwood in 1962. They divorced a few years later.

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to Westwood on Instagram shortly after her death was announced, writing: “She was a brilliant creator, bold, brash, unique. She influenced SO MANY and gave them the permission to be themselves and beyond themselves,” adding, “What a legacy of creativity she will always be.”

Christina Hendricks also mourned the loss of the late designer and "friend," recalling that she was “larger than life.”

"I tried to watch and learn every moment I was with her. She cracked me up with her directness and often terrifying “I don’t give a f***-ness”. But she cared so much that she changed the world and kept working to make it better day after day. Nobody has been so unique, so groundbreaking, so innovative. I love you Vivienne. Thank you for everything. My love to you, Andreas,” she wrote alongside a photo with Westwood. 

Earlier today, Dec. 29, Brazilian soccer icon Pelé passed away after colon cancer complications at the age of 82.