Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (nee Swire) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman. She was one of the architects of the punk fashion phenomenon of the 1970s. Westwood was born in Tintwistle a village in Cheshire, England. She took a jewelry and silversmith course at the University of Westminister but ended up leaving after 1 term. She later studied at a Teaching training college and became a teacher. Her popularity began when she started making clothes the boutique she ran with Malcom ... moreDame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (nee Swire) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman. She was one of the architects of the punk fashion phenomenon of the 1970s. Westwood was born in Tintwistle a village in Cheshire, England. She took a jewelry and silversmith course at the University of Westminister but ended up leaving after 1 term. She later studied at a Teaching training college and became a teacher. Her popularity began when she started making clothes the boutique she ran with Malcom McLaren called SEX. She dominated the punk scene together with McLaren's band Sex Pistols in the 1970s. From then on Westwood's career in fashion took off, she opened four more shops in London before she expanded throughout Britain and the world. As of 2015 her company Vivienne Westwood Group owned 63 retail shops around the world. Westwood's designs were featured in the movie Sex and the City and a documentary was made in 2018 tittled Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist that depicted her life. She was known to support political causes such as climate change, civil rights groups and campaign for nuclear disarmament.
