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Westwood, whose passing at the age of 81 was revealed on December 29, utilized her creative platform to express her opinions on these topics via the interpretative media of fashion. She was far from modest about her stance on political and economic crises in the globe. Westwood was never a designer to sit mute on major themes that may be trending throughout the world, whether it be subtly or boldly with eye-catching phrases on t-shirts. She established a reputation for speaking her mind and making frequent political declarations on her runways, both on and off the catwalk.
For her spring/summer 2016 Red Label collection,, essentially converted her runway show into a protest march with models holding signs that read “Austerity is a crime” and “Fracking is a crime.” The designer has long been interested in environmental concerns; examples include the “Climate Revolution” banner that was hoisted at the conclusion of her spring/summer 2013 show and the climate change zombies who walked the catwalk in spring/summer 2014. She has previously supported controversial characters, wearing a “I am Julian Assange” T-shirt at the conclusion of her autumn/winter 2013 show and visited the WikiLeaks founder at the Ecuadorian embassy, where he sought shelter in 2012 to escape being extradited to Sweden for sexual assault.
Her autumn/winter 2006 collection has previously made homage to the imprisoned Native American activist Leonard Peltier. Westwood never held back when it came to speaking out on British politics. She has criticized contentious anti-terrorism regulations at her Paris Fashion Week shows going back to the spring/summer 2006 season. In the spring/summer 2015 season, she wore a “Yes” badge to express her support for the Scottish independence vote. Meanwhile, a model waving the EU flag in her autumn/winter 2018 menswear video, which included a unisex line, was ostensibly making a message against Brexit.
in 2019, during the AW19 men’s and women’swear presentation during LFW 2019 he fashion industry was eager to see what Westwood had to give after two years of just digital presentations from her, and they were not dissatisfied. Several political statements were interwoven into Westwood’s display, giving the impression that the show’s politics and theatrics had supplanted the collection’s presentation and design. Even while the exhibition featured the brand’s trademark herringbone and tartan designs, loose silhouettes, and accessories with grunge-inspired slogans, the political undertones were what really stood out.e looks back at the late designer’s landmark political statements over the years.
Take a look back at the late designer’s landmark political statements over the years.
Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS14
Vivienne Westwood AW05
Vivienne Westwood Red Label AW08
Vivienne Westwood SS06
Vivienne Westwood SS10
Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS16
Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS15
Vivienne Westwood SS13
