Vivienne Westwood

‘I've constantly tried to provoke people into thinking afresh and for themselves, to escape their inhibitions and programming.’
Vivienne Westwood

Traditionalist, provocateur, utterly contemporary: Vivienne Westwood (1941 – 2022) was one of British fashion's most famous – and most contradictory – designers. The woman who helped create punk clocked up over four decades on the cutting edge, and produced some of modern style's most recognisable looks, many of which are represented in our collections.

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The V&A's fashion collection holds garments from some of the most influential periods in Westwood's career. These include exuberant footwear designs, bondage outfits and provocative T-shirts from the punk years; mould-breaking garments from important 1980s collections such as Pirates, Buffalo Girls and Witches; and outfits from the 1990s that demonstrate Westwood's signature reinvention of historical styles.

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Background image: T-shirt, Jamie Reid archive, designed by Jamie Reid, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, modified by Johnny Rotten, 1976, England. Museum no. S.794-1990. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London