From punk to catwalk pioneer and activist

Dame Vivienne Westwood, who has died at the age of 81, was the provocative doyenne of British fashion who married the anti-establishment ethos of punk with the flamboyance of high fashion.

She rose to fame in the 1970s after opening a shop in London with then-partner Malcolm McLaren, selling outlandish outfits that came to define the punk style. The shop was a favourite haunt of the members of The Sex Pistols, who McLaren went on to manage.

From her punk origins, she expanded her horizons to establish herself as a leading independent designer in the 1980s and went on to dress a host of celebrities through the years – from singer Olivia Rodrigo and actress Zendaya…

…through to fashion icon and singer Harry Styles…

…as well as singer Pharrell Williams.

Her designs also featured in the film version of US series Sex And The City.

She didn’t lose her unorthodox streak when she moved into the world of catwalk shows and ready-to-wear collections, and it made her one of the most distinctive and original designers in the fashion world…

…sometimes putting her own models in peril – in one show, supermodel Naomi Campbell famously fell over in towering platform shoes.

She built a mini empire, opening her own boutiques as well as producing bridal clothes, shoes, hosiery, ties, knitwear, cosmetics and perfumes.

From wearing the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen T-shirts in her younger days, she met the Queen and was honoured with an OBE in 1992 and a damehood in 2006.

Westwood became seen as a legendary figure in the industry. She is pictured here with models Kate Moss and Alice Dellal in 2015.

Westwood also became vocal on a number of social and political causes, including campaigning for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In 2020, she staged another protest in his support inside a giant bird cage.

The environment was another of her passionate causes, and she is seen here protesting against fracking in 2015 when she drove a tank to then Prime Minister David Cameron’s house…

All photos subject to copyright.