In college last year I decided to base my final project upon Punk in the 1980s because it fascinated me. I found it so interesting how people caused such an uproar for going against the status quo, and part of me really admires those individuals, especially Vivienne Westwood. She is a character unlike any other, and this documentary gave a more personal insight to her life than I had previously experienced. In the documentary, Westwood seemed incredibly reluctant to talk about her personal life and career, deeming it as boring and that she simply cannot be bothered (her words were in a slightly more profane manner). The pure black and white style she possesses of saying things as they are is something I think a lot of people are scared to do, but with her rebel nature I couldn’t imagine her acting in any other way.
The film talks about her early life as well as life with Malcolm McLaren, who she was in partnership with to form a safe space for punks alike in their shop on Kings Road. It focussed on their split leaving her life in a very different position, raising two children and to battle against the world of fashion and business, which clearly, she has greatly succeeded. However, one thing I found particularly interesting was how Vivienne said she wasn’t happy with her company because it has expanded too much in her eyes. By refusing a new store in Beijing, as well as telling buyers she’s not in the business for the money, it is apparent she is doing what she wants because she enjoys it, and isn’t money driven at all. The main reason for this, she says, is because she wants to be able to control everything herself and only put out things she likes. I thought this was particularly interesting because it shows how she wants to create clothes for people who will enjoy them, not to just make her designs simpler to fit in with today’s fashion, but to carry on her rebel nature. Her son, Joe Corré, describes her as Britain’s last genuine punk. There is truth in that. Punk seems to have disappeared in music, but still lives on through Westwood’s clothes, style, and the poses she strikes publicly.
One moment that stuck with me was a TV interview with Sue Lawley in the 80s, where the studio audience began laughing at Westwood’s ‘Time Machine’ collection, mocking her creations. This made it apparent to me how against people were against Westwood’s designs, and not really understanding her artistic brilliance. Westwood threatened to stop the proceedings if the audience continued to mock her work, maintaining a level-headedness, with Lawley asking if she was upset. However, in reality, Westwood didn’t care about that reaction all too much because she had shown her work and was proud of what she had produced.
I thought it was a really interesting documentary to see how the designer worked, where she still works hands-on on the body herself, rather than having someone else do it for her. It also showed the chaos of what a fashion show really is like, with models running around everywhere, and Westwood making last minute decisions to change a model’s hair or the order the clothes were being shown. This further elaborates her point of she won’t show something if she doesn’t like it, which I think is perfectly acceptable. Her company, her decisions.
Nowadays, Westwood is a strong ambassador for wanting to try and save the planet and the environment. Giving her clothes a message, she incorporates climate change campaigns in her fashions shows to try and change the health of the world. So much so, Westwood missed the opening of a new store in New York, so she could stay at home to work on a thesis on globing warming. She is using her position of power for good, trying to spread a message to others about a really important issue.
Overall, I really enjoyed the documentary and highly recommend watching if you want to see more behind-the-scenes of the fashion world, as well as a boisterous character saying things how it is and not beating around the bush. Westwood really is a colourful character and I love how she hasn’t changed her ways from the 80s to now, staying true to herself and her ‘rebel’ nature.
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