Vivienne Westwood: Wiki, Bio, Age, Designs, Husbands, Death

Vivienne Westwood: Wiki, Bio, Age, Designs, Husbands, Death, Politics, Awards, Children, parents, siblings, birthplace, address, zodiac, Net Worth, Books, education: Vivienne Westwood was an English Fashion Designer and businesswoman who is widely known to bring punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. She came to recognition when she and Malcolm McLaren ran a boutique on King’s Road. Their joint boutique came to be known as SEX after McLaren’s band Sex Pistols, which dominated the UK Punk Scene in the 1970s. After that, she grew her business all over the world and promoted political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Climate Change, and Civil Rights through her designs. However, she has been appearing in the headlines currently as she died on 29th December 2022 at the age of 81. Keep reading this article to know more about her life and other personal details.

Vivienne Westwood Birthday, Age, Zodiac, Birthplace

Vivienne was born on 8th April the year 1941. She was 81 years old when she died on 29th December 2022 and was still working. She was born in Tintwistle, Cheshire, in England but grew up in Harrow, Greater London. Born on 8th April her Sun sign or Zodiac sign is Aries.

Vivienne Westwood Parents, Siblings

Vivienne was born to her parents in the village of Tintwistle in Cheshire. Her father, Gordon Swire used to work in an Aircraft factory and had also worked as a greengrocer. Her mother was Dora Swire. The couple had been married for 2 years when they had their daughter, Vivienne. They had married 2 weeks after World War 2 broke out. She doesn’t have any siblings.

Vivienne Westwood Education, School, University

Vivienne might have finished her schooling at a local school in Cheshire but the name of her school is not known. While in Harrow she attended a jewelry and silversmith course at the University of Westminster but later dropped out as she thought that she can’t make it as an artist being a working-class citizen. Later on, she attended a teacher-training college and became a primary school teacher. The name of this institution is also not known.

Vivienne Westwood Career, Malcolm McLaren, Punk, Mini-Crin

Vivienne started by making Jewellery of her own which she sold from a stall on Portobello Road and later also designed her own wedding dress. However, her life took a new course when she married Malcolm McLaren and used to create clothes that he designed. Soon, McLaren became the manager of the punk band Sex Pistols, and both Vivienne and McLaren came to prominence when they designed clothes for the band. Together, they influenced the punk culture of the early 1970s and once displayed their designs on King’s Road which gained them widespread recognition. At that time, their boutique “SEX” was the meeting place for Punk members. Punk Icon Viv Albertine was greatly inspired by Vivienne’s designs.

Vivienne Westwood Academic Gowns, Inspirations

Vivienne’s main goal in designing was to provoke or challenge a particular idea, and eventually, her designs were a statement of her own. Vivienne and Malcolm’s design collection “Pirate” was the first one of their designs to be featured in the media and attracted international buyers. Vivienne produced several design collections in Paris and London with thematic titles such as “Savages”, “Nostalgia of Mud”, “Punkature” and many more. When her partnership with Malcolm ended she showed one more collection called ” Clint Eastwood “.

Over the years her inspiration changed from punks to ragamuffins to ” Tatler” girls wearing clothes that parodied the upper class. During the 1985 to 1987 period she was inspired by the ballet “Petrushka” and designed the Mini-Crin which was a shorter version of Victorian Crinoline which was used to hold the skirts in place and to have a puffed outlook. Her mini-crin combined two conflicting ideas, “restriction and encumbrance in woman’s dress” and “liberation”. She was given the responsibility to design the academic gowns for King’s College London by its chairperson, Patricia Rowlings. Vivienne’s take on the academic gowns combined the past, present, and future. She also designed uniforms for Virgin Atlantic Crew while working closely with Richard Branson. Keeping in mind the sustaining of clothes she used recycled polyester.

Vivienne Westwood Ltd

Her company Vivienne Westwood Ltd agreed to pay a tax amount of some 3.5 million dollars to HM Revenue and Customs for significantly underestimating the value of her band. Her UK had sold the rights to her trademarks to Luxembourg-based Latimo which was controlled by her for 8.4 million dollars in 2002. However, after much debate, the two parties agreed that her trademarks were worth more than double the amount. In 2012, she ended the long-standing UK Franchise Relationship with Manchester-based Hervia but was trapped in conflict as she ended the contract before the decided period and had to settle the issue with considerable money. She faced a considerable dip in her profits in 2013 and took measures to shun further expansions of her business due to environmental and sustainability issues. At one point she had to rearrange her Tax structure so as to avoid conflict with Green Party Policies.

Notable clients

She had several notable clients over the years. Dita Van Teese wore a purple wedding gown designed by Westwood to her wedding with Marilyn Manson. Marion Cotillard wore a Westwood red satin strapless dress at the premiere of her film “Public Enemies” and another Westwood couture pink and ivory striped dress at the Chopard Lunch in Cannes. Princess Eugenie wore Westwood dresses at the after-wedding party of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Her design was featured in the movie “Sex and the City” where Carrie Bradshaw modeled for a wedding dress designed by Vivienne Westwood.

Vivienne Liberty, Green Party, Nuclear Disarmament, Climate Change

Vivienne spoke through her designs. Each of her designs was a statement of her own. In 2005 she launched limited edition T-shirts for the group Liberty. The shirts had the caption “I am not a Terrorist, please don’t arrest me” which was a protest against the arbitrary arrest of people. The earnings from her T-shirt business were funded by the organization. She supported the Conservative Party on the issues of civil liberties and human rights and had been an active supporter of the Green Party. Vivienne campaigned for Nuclear Arms Disarmament at the Atomic Weapons Established, Aldermaston, Berkshire in 2008. She was very conscious of the rising environmental issues and dedicated one of her collections to Chelsea Manning who is a famous activist and whistleblower.

She appeared in PETA ad Campaigns to promote world water day and vegetarianism. Vivienne was the ambassador for the clean energy Trillion Fund and also endorsed labor leader Jeremy Corbyn for the 2017 general elections. She was a supporter of the Green Party and donated 3 million dollars to the Party’s election campaign but was excluded from appearing on the campaign tour due to her conflicting tax issues. Eventually, she announced her support for campaigning for “We Are The Reality Party”. She created an anti-consumerism Manifesto called “Active Resistance to Propaganda” and support the release of Julian Assange through protests and designs.

Vivienne Westwood Clothes Sustainability, Books

Even though she was a supporter of the Green Party and promoted Eco-friendly measures, she was found to use PVC, Polyester, Rayon, and Viscose which are harmful to the environment. However, she collaborated with a nonprofit organization Farmers Not Factories, and her clothing line has T-shirts and Tote bags made of Pure Cotton. Vivienne also co-authored a book called “Fashion in Art: The Second Empire and Impressionism” and published her own book called “Vivienne Westwood Opus 2008 limited edition” with a total of 900 copies only. The book contained her work over the years with pictures and attractive titles.

Vivienne Westwood Husband, Children, Divorce

Vivienne first married Derek Westwood, who was a Hoover Factory apprentice in Harrow in 1962. Together they had a son, named Benjamin. However, the couple divorced in 1965 and it was a very short-lasting marriage. After that, she married fellow designer Malcolm McLaren in 1971 after dating him for a long time. They had a long-standing partnership and helped each other succeed together. They had a son together called Joseph Corre who was born in 1967, even when the couple was not married. Sadly though, Westwood and Malcolm’s partnership ended as they divorced in 1980. Vivienne married Andreas Kronthaler, an Austrian creative director and design partner in 1992 and had been married to him till her death in December 2022.

Vivienne Westwood Height, Weight, Recognition, Net Worth

Westwood was 5 feet 6 inches tall which is equivalent to 1.67 meters tall or 167 centimeters. She weighs 58 Kg or 128 lbs. She had blonde hair which she often colored red, and black eyes. Vivienne was awarded British Fashion Designer of the Year in 1990, 1991, and 2006. In 1992 she was awarded an OBE by the late Queen Elizabeth II and at the ceremony she wore sheer tights with s reinforced Bikini Top under her skirt which amused the Queen. She earned a fellowship at King’s College London in 2007.

She was featured by artist Sir Pete Blake as one of the British cultural icons in 2012. Ian Kelly wrote a biography on her life, named “Vivienne Westwood” but was not much popular due to the innumerable inaccuracies and sloppy writing technique. In 2018, she was featured in a documentary film called “Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist”. Her net worth is estimated to be 50 million dollars as of 2022.

Here is a full bio of Vivienne Westwood, her age, birthday, birthplace, zodiac, nationality, ethnicity, religion, caste, address, parents, father, mother, siblings, sister, brother, relationship status, boyfriend, husband, children, career, hobbies, height, weight, body measurements, eye color, hair color, nickname, net worth and more.

Vivienne Westwood Information Table

Name		Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood
Nickname		Queen of Punk
Gender		Female
Profession		Designer, Activist
Height (approx.)		in centimeters – 167cm meters – 1.67m feet inches – 5ft 6in
Weight (approx.)		in kilograms – 58kg in pounds – 128lbs
Figure Measurements		Not Available
Eye Colour		Black
Hair Colour		Blonde
Date of Birth		8 April 1941
Age (as of 2022)		81 years
Birth Place		Tintwistle, Cheshire, in England
Zodiac sign/Sun sign		Aries
Nationality		British
Date of Death		29 December 2022
School		N/A
College/University		University of Westminister
Educational Qualification		College Dropout
Religion		N/A
Ethnicity		Mixed
Caste		Not Available
Address		London, England
Hobbies/Interests		N/A
Marital Status		Married
Affairs/Boyfriends/Girlfriends		Not Available
Sexuality		Straight
Parents		Father: Gordon Swire Mother: Dora Swire
Siblings		N/A
Husband/Wife/Spouse		Derek Westwood(divorced) Malcolm McLaren(divorced) Andreas Kronthaler(widowed)
Children		Benjamin Westwood Joseph Corre
Net Worth		$50 million

Social Media Accounts of the Activist

Instagram

Facebook

Lesser Known Facts About The Designer

• She is a keen gardener and vegetarian.
• To celebrate her 80th Birthday, Vivienne was Commissioned by CIRCA, an art Platform.
• She was featured in a Canadian-made documentary called “Vivienne Westwood’s London” in which she took the viewers to her favorite places in London.
• One of her t-shirt designs with Malcolm is featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Arts.
• Her last husband, Andreas Kronthaler was a former fashion student of hers.
• In her last days, she lived in a Queen Anne Style House in Clapham, which once belonged to the mother of Captain Cook.

FAQs on Vivienne

1) Is she dead?

Yes, she died on 29th December 2022.

2)How did she die?

She died due to old age.

3)Why is she famous?

She is famous as a Punk Icon and activist.

4) Did she marry Malcolm McLaren?

Yes, for some time she was married to Malcolm McLaren and also had a child together with him.

5)Was she awarded a title by Queen Elizabeth II?

Yes, she was awarded the title of “Dame” by the late Queen.

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