Vivienne westwood biography buchanans

From Creative Director to Business owner

How did you go about making the change?

I felt like being creative again. The children had grown up – one is now 17 the other is now 15 – so they are able to look after themselves.

I had itchy fingers and felt the need to do something. I found this course with Brave Starts. They put me in contact with Phoenix.

By coincidence, at that time, I discovered I had a small pension with Standard Life (a Phoenix Group company) that I didn’t know about. I’m using a small lump sum from that to fund the new business.

People want artisan, natural, hand-crafted goods. I live on the Kings Road in Chelsea. I thought it would be great to have a modern take on the 60s vibe, that Mary Quant feel, using UK factories to do a small amount of product. That allows me to test the waters before going into things like tee-shirts, dresses, knitwear.

What help or advice did you get?

Lots of people have done me lots of favours. The models in our photoshoot were friends of my son’s. I found a great photographer/videographer and a fantastic web developer helped me

Punk Visionary Vivienne Westwood Dead at 81

Vivienne Westwood, who dressed the Sex Pistols and pioneered the fashion trends of British punk, died at the age of 81 on Dec. 29, her colleagues confirmed.

“Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London,” a tweet from her official account read. “The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better.” No further details were provided.

She rose to acclaim after opening London fashion store SEX with Malcolm McLaren, who later managed the Pistols. While a swathe of late ‘70s and early ‘80s musicians wore her designs, she also employed Chrissy Hynde, Glen Matlock and Toyah Willcox in the store. In later years her outfits were worn by Hollywood icons and royalty, while she continued to push the fashion industry towards more sustainable business models.

“Buy less, choose well, make it last,” a mission statement on her official website said. “We know there is a contradiction between our activism and the industry we

Punk fashion designer Vivienne Westwood dies

Fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, famed for her role in the punk revolution of the 1970s has died aged 81. 

Ms Westwood came to prominence with her androgynous designs, slogan t-shirts and irreverent attitude towards the establishment. She was credited with introducing tartan to a new generation.

The Derbyshire-born former primary school teacher, set up a shop Let It Rock on King’s Road in Chelsea with her then partner Malcolm McLaren who, in late 1975, began managing a group of shop regulars who became the Sex Pistols and wore Westwood’s and McLaren’s designs.

Despite her anti-establishment image, Ms Westwood became an icon of British design and was made a Dame for services to fashion in 2006.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London houses some of her works and described her as a “true revolutionary and rebellious force in fashion”.

She died peacefully surrounded by her family in Clapham, South London.

“Her creative partner Andreas Kronthaler said: “I will continue w

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