The personal wardrobe of late British fashion
designer and political activist Vivienne Westwood is going on sale, with
proceeds donated to causes supported by the “queen of punk”.
“Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection” comprises more than 250
clothing and accessory items, most of which were runway looks before being
worn by the designer herself.
The collection features some of her most iconic designs, including corsets,
tartan patterns, billowing taffeta gowns, platform heels and T-shirts bearing
political slogans.
The online sale hosted by Christie’s in London starts Friday and will end
on June 28, and will include a live auction on June 25.
The lots include custom-designed playing card prints intended to shed light
on issues such as climate change, social inequality and human rights.
Ten have been enlarged and signed by Westwood, who died in 2022 aged 81, to
raise funds for Greenpeace.
Other proceeds will be donated to charities including Amnesty
International, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the designer’s own Vivienne
Foundation, which works with NGOs “to create a better society and halt climate
change”.
The collection’s cataloguer and sale coordinator, Clementine Swallow, told
AFP that “Vivienne’s Playing Cards” were the catalyst for a larger charity
auction.
Although Westwood “knew she wasn’t going to be able to see the project
out… she had the wish that her personal wardrobe would be sold to benefit
other charities important to her”, Swallow said.
Westwood’s widower Andreas Kronthaler, 58, has been closely involved in the
sale. “He’s personally put together each of the lots to be an outfit she would
have worn,” Swallow said.
“These are the items that she chose to have, of the many thousand things
that she designed over 40 years,” she said. “They are the kinds of things that
she felt were the epitome of her designs.”
Sustainability
The collection includes a number of pieces that illustrate Westwood’s
cultural impact, and the wide range of influences she drew from in her
four-decade career.
The earliest piece is a 1983 navy jacket-and-skirt ensemble from the
“World’s End, Witches” Autumn-Winter 1983 collection, when Westwood was still
in collaboration with her first husband and manager of the Sex Pistols,
Malcolm McLaren.
Westwood was influenced by British history but gave classic designs a
provocative edge, Swallow said, noting in particular a taffeta ball gown with
“bondage-style black wrappings”.
Many of the clothes feature political graphics and slogans that reflected
Westwood’s advocacy of social justice.
“A big part of Vivienne’s identity is activism… She really is one of
those designers who took their clothes and used them as a mouthpiece to voice
her ideas and political opinions,” Swallow said.
Other collection highlights include Westwood’s signature pink tartan
pattern and a cropped blue jacket identical to the one worn by supermodel
Naomi Campbell during a notorious incident when she fell on the catwalk while
wearing 12-inch (30-centimetre) Westwood platforms.
There are also early examples of the designer’s elasticated corsets.
Sustainability and ethical fashion are also key themes — The most
expensive piece is a cut-out illusion gown hand stitched with intricate
beading and gold panelling, created with artisans and craftspeople in Kenya.
All materials used in the exhibition are recycled or recyclable, including
cardboard signage and plywood stands.
“It’s been a great lesson for us, (proving that) we can do recyclable
exhibitions,” Swallow said.
Collection items are listed at 200 to 7,000 pounds (255 to 9,000 dollars) but are
expected to fetch much more given Westwood’s reputation.
Museums and other institutions are expected to bid but Swallow said the
designer “loved the idea that (her clothes) might be worn by real people”.
“The idea that they might have another life is wonderful,” she said.(AFP)
