VIVIENNE WESTWOOD SS20

Towards the early 1980s, the punk scene made its departure from the limelight, as did the relationship of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. Choosing to establish her own brand, Westwood maintained her non-conformist strategies to fashion and played on the ideas of British identity and historical reference but through new forms of protest. Today, Vivienne is highly denoted for her strong enforcements for Climate Change, where she tirelessly educated and voiced her opinions of the effects of overconsumption and climate problems way before it was on the global agenda, up until her passing in 2022.

Vivienne Westwood employed her platform again as a stage for democratic frustration, this time in activism for a better future. As a creative, I have huge respect for Westwood, as her garments always had intention and meaning behind them. She did not want average, she wanted improvement. A true pioneer who valued protest and power over profit.

Her clothing is synonymous for its disruptive voice, and I was particularly drawn to her SS20 collection which expanded on this.

This season Westwood reflected her calling for sustainability in her collections too, ensuring that her words matched her actions in terms of consuming less and doing more. Described as an artful mismatch, inspired by the stand-up theatre of Italian Commedia Dell’arte and Pinocchio (Leitch, 2019) the editorial images concentrate on models sitting on bars like puppets and wearing a range of garments from deconstructed, tartan, utilitarian and tailoring.

From this, I can perceive that Westwood hadn’t lost her touch with punk as it was still infiltrated into her collections. Models’ hair resembled that of Vivienne’s in the 70s or was crimped, with harsh makeup sketched upon the face. Her nod to the British identity is present too, especially through plaid blazers.

However, what interested me most was the storytelling of protest through her illustrative concepts. She placed her models upon wasteland backdrop, featuring protest imagery, sparse trees, and desolate landscapes (Grace, 2019). Westwood made her statement through more than just the clothing and this is something I would love to consider for my FMP- how could the concept as a whole present storytelling- could it be through background, like Vivienne Westwood has implemented here? Or could I find another way to portray my messages of a frustrated generation through more than clothing?

The thrills and frivolities of Fashion Weeks always excite me, and it is where I unearthed the Maison Margiela FW23 collection which instantly transformed my FMP viewpoint and challenged new ideas.

I had always familiarised myself with punk as the red and black grungy aesthetic, so, observing Maison Margiela exhibiting the subculture through a more youthful and muted approach pleasantly surprised me. The layout of the editorial imagery corresponding with the collection enhanced the storytelling dramatically. The dot to dot joining of all little details from safety pin accessories, high collar shirts, frayed layered draping, and netting cascading over the face, was mesmerising to me.

Throughout my books I have emphasised my appreciation for dissecting imagery and seeking the semiotics to distinguish its novel, I feel Maison Margiela did just that in this collection. I appreciate how they have upcycled materials, thus maintaining a conscious feel, whilst modernising the punk subculture in an artful setting. With punk boasting a DIY mantra in which clothing was often messy and deconstructed, I love how Margiela has preserved this, yet still made the garments have the luxury appeal where they are situated in the fashion hierarchy. Pairing the copious layers of tulle, tartan and fishnet tights with the signature tabi-toe shoes really encapsulated the latter.

It, therefore, leads me to question- how can I re-interpret the punks yet still inherit its origins through my work?

The storytelling of the Maison Margiela FW23 collection was powerful, and I found a spark in this brand which ignited my theatrical and performing arts ‘Ellie’ you observe in Brand Eleanor as a form of escapism. I’d love to study this in greater depth in more of their collections too so I can install it into my imagery.