She went on her own after 1984 and would continue to reinvent herself collection after collection, taking inspiration from Peruvian women, Blade Runner, Witches, Hip hop, Greek gods, and more. At this important point, Vivienne developed her trademark rectangle cutting and personal fitting techniques that would create a unique trademark aesthetic and dynamic with the body. In 1981 Westwood and McLaren showcased their first runway collection inspired by the plundering of pirates, the Third World, and a romantic view of historical fashions. Credit: Vivienne Westwood The brand and the punk spirit After the collapse of the Sex Pistols and the absorption of punk by the mainstream in the 1980s, Westwood was left disenchanted and renamed the shop one last time as ‘Worlds End’. When they were prosecuted for infringing on obscenity laws with their provocative t-shirts, they re-branded it again and produced even more hardcore clothing.īy 1974, their shop was named ‘Sex’ and it sold rubberwear and fetishist clothing with black leather, straps, and zips. They subsequently rebranded the shop with the name ‘Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die’ and added a skull and crossbones to the storefront. They opened a store over at 430 Kings Road called ‘Let it Rock’ and in two years’ time, they turned to biker clothing, zips, and leather. Vivienne started making clothing with Malcolm McLaren in 1971. Vivienne Westwood Credit: Vivienne WestwoodĪ quintessentially British punk clothing and luxury fashion label that sells accessories, and varied merchandising on a global scale. There are still a couple of brands that punks actually wore during the 70s, like Converse and Doc Martens, but the do-it-yourself quality of the original punk-wear has been replaced by ready-to-wear and high fashion brands that emulate the look. Mainly, a lot of tartan plaids, metal studs or spikes, band t-shirts, black leather, and crazy multi-colored and mohawk hairstyles. What we have today is punk fashion, which is ruled by a nostalgic use of traditional punk elements with a twist. Still, punk as a movement has sadly died. If hard-pressed, I’d say that even exemplary and notorious personas from the movement, like Vivienne Westwood, have somehow been assimilated by the mainstream. Over the years, punk lost its social revolutionary edge and became a fashion style. Evolution and absorption by the mainstream In short, to be punk is to rebel, and consequences be damned. Myriad subcultures have since borrowed on the non-conformist nature of punk that defies the mainstream and rejects authority. Punks wanted to shake the status quo, they were mayhem, anarchism, and above all, were against the establishment of capitalism. Not much of the original philosophy has managed to survive the decades, but the term still conjures rebellion and a “devil may care” attitude. The movement was beyond memorable, earning a spot for itself in our cultural memory and countless mentions in following media (like the classic 90s movie Pump Up the Volume & Sid and Nancy). Punk gave way to many subcultures like new wave, pop-punk, hardcore punk, rock punk, and street punk while also influencing the alternative rock scene, indie music, and heavy metal in all its forms. Its political, philosophical, musical, and literary views created a very distinct fashion style that identified them and would continue to live on, long after the movement itself. It was a reactionary movement against the hard right-wing political standpoint of the English government led by Margaret Thatcher, and towards its cultural predecessor, the hippie movement, which was all about peace and love. The punk subculture was born in the mid-1970s, in the United Kingdom.
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