Favourite fashion brand: Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood, as a brand, shaped the 1970’s British Punk scene, with direct involvement with ‘The Sex Pistols’. From the beginnings as ‘Let it rock’, a small boutique featuring elements of the Teddy Boy style, influenced by Vivienne’s crafting for Malcolm McLaren, to the collapse of ‘The Sex Pistols’ and the modern powerhouse known as ‘World’s End’, Vivienne Westwood is a staple brand in many alternative communities. In more modern times, Vivienne Westwood is seen in visual media, and manga series, like Ai Yazawa’s: ’Nana’, which features several of real life Vivienne pieces, such as the orb lighter, and can be cited as some inspiration for a modern audiences new found interest in the brand, and the beginnings of their collection. The brand is also named in the TV adaptation, showing direct inspiration. However, across alternative communities, the main factor which drives people towards the brand, is the forwarding of the punk community, and shaping it into the format of which we see modern punks engage in. The plaid skirts, along with the orb imagery encapsulates my interest: an inherently feminine aesthetic, with the powerful messages of the British 1970s punk movement, its a grand juxtaposition which keeps someone like me, an alternative, but still extremely feminine person, completely besotted with the brand.