Vivienne Westwood - Rage against the machine

The words of Malcolm McLaren, "Be childish. Be irresponsible. Be disrespectful," resonated in the work of Vivienne Westwood, his partner for 15 years, who passed away a bit more than a year ago.

Westwood was one of the most influential British fashion designers, with an impact that went beyond the fashion shows to touch popular culture. I am a living proof: while I still did not have any fashion background, I bought my first designer pair of pants from her. Then, I was lucky enough to see her work at the V&A museum in London when studying at the Institut Fran?ais de la Mode.

Her career began with the opening of a shop in London in 1971 with McLaren, where she sold vintage clothing and her own designs. She launched iconic punk pieces, such as the Anarchy shirt and Bondage trousers, and continued to experiment with asymmetrical cuts and deconstructed dresses.

Westwood was also a pioneer of gender fluidity in fashion, a big thing now, but totally crazy three decades ago (or, at least, quite unusual).

Her career had its ups and downs, but she always continued to create and innovate. She was named British Designer of the Year in 1990 and 1991 and was the subject of a retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2004-2005.

Westwood was also an advocate for social and climate justice, using her platform to raise awareness of these important issues. Her advice for the future of fashion was "Buy less. Buy better. Make it last. Quality, not quantity." How could we not agree with these words?