Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood traces its beginnings to the King’s Road shop opened by the designer and Malcolm McLaren in London in 1971. Initially called Let It Rock, the boutique changed names and identities as their interests moved from Teddy Boy dressing toward the provocation of punk. Clothes became a way to challenge accepted ideas about class and respectability.

The house’s later work turned that rebellious impulse toward fashion history. Corsetry and tartan appeared alongside tailoring shaped by earlier centuries, with traditional British references pulled into unfamiliar proportions. The 1981 Pirate collection marked a decisive move onto the runway, showing how historical dress could become a source of contemporary invention.

In menswear, Westwood questioned the rules of the suit through altered scale and a deliberate sense of disorder. Draped trousers and sharply cut jackets could suggest both ceremony and irreverence. The Orb emblem, combining royal imagery with a satellite ring, became a compact expression of the meeting between tradition and the future.

Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood’s long-standing design partner, received his own name on the former Gold Label runway collection in 2016. He continues the house’s creative direction following Westwood’s death in 2022. Based in London, the brand preserves an approach to fashion in which historical knowledge and political conviction can shape the clothes as strongly as any seasonal trend.