Vivienne Westwood: For Those Wanting to Be Different

Vivienne Westwood and her partner, Malcolm McLaren, opened their first shop in London. The shop, which was called Let It Rock, was intended to help the pair showcase their ideas to the world. It was very different from the trends of the time, as the hippy movement was the current trend and the shop featured Fifties Rock ‘n Roll records and other memorabilia. In addition, the clothing being offered was also inspired by the look of the Fifties.

Despite the fact that the shop was going against the flow of the trend of the day, young people came from all around the country to shop at the store. Then, the punk style was born and Vivienne Westwood moved along with the natural rock progression. The clothing offered by the line was intended to represent all of the various ideas that had been working in Westwood’s mind up until that time. They included chains, zips, bondage, rips, and even a hint of porn.

Later, Vivienne Westwood continued to be on the cutting edge when the company launched its “Witches” collection, which utilized both geometrical cuts and ethnic inspirations.

Continuing with it counter-culture attitude, Vivienne Westwood later launched its Mini Crini collection during a time when power dressing and big shoulders was at its height. The Mini Crini collection placed emphasis on the small waist rather than on the broad shoulders and was designed in a way to draw more attention to the hips.

As a result of her intriguing designs, Vivienne Westsood has been made an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art in Longon. The clothing in the line continues to be cutting edge and the complete opposite of what the world of design would expect..