Livia yu's essay 14 aug 2014

Livia Yu(Jui-Hui)

Compare and Contrast the British Fashion Design Brand Styles of Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood.

By Livia Yu(Jui-Hui)

This essay will begin with a brief overview of comparing and contrasting two British fashion designers, Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood. In addition, it will evaluate their design style and fashion brand business in modern industrialised societies. They are well-known in American, Italy, France and United Kingdom. Moreover, their work has been associated with several renowned international brands. Consequently, the purpose of this essay is to investigate the design styles of British fashion designers Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood even though Bailey and Westwood‟ traits are virtually impossible to quantify.

Even more importantly, though, is the fact that Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood are in sharp contrast in their design styles; however, in a similar way, both their brands are successfully promoted around the world. In consequence, another goal would be to discuss the resemblance and differences in design style between Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood.

Fashion design and brand are inseparable. A fashion designer‟s successful works are seen to depend on how faithfully they present the brand‟s original spirit. British fashion designer Christopher Bailey – is the Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer of Burberry. He is the designer who has undoubtedly achieved this notion. In addition, Bailey has become a household name, because of being creative director of Burberry, the British fashion brand company, which he joined back in 2001 and then, beginning in 2014, also CEO of the British luxury giant Burberry.

(Vogue, voguepedia 2002). Bailey is considered an extremely famous designer from an early age; as before he worked for Burberry, he worked for Donna Karan in New York, Tom Ford and Gucci in Milan within 1994 to 2001. However, this active stage happened when he just graduated from the Royal College of Art in London (1994). (Top-Fashion-designers.info 2004-2014).

It is can be seen, in his early works there are elements of a variety of cities he had lived in; moreover, he realized how to maintain a brand‟s spirit with his simple and elegant design style. In -1-

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addition, his designs and accessories were focused on embodying women elegant style which is more charming, gorgeous and seeking high-quality. However, when he joined Burberry in May 2001 as design director and became Creative Director in 2004 and Chief Creative Officer in November 2009; his creative talent was used not only in fashion design but also to manage fashion business. In his Burberry stage, he is responsible for the direction of all product lines, as well as the definition of the company's overall image and seasonal advertising concepts. It is widely acknowledged that Burberry is a classic and historic fashion brand. He stated that “It‟s a brand with the most incredible heritage and history of over 155 years and yet at the same time it‟s incredibly modern and in touch with what is going on today. That‟s our job – to keep it relevant and exciting so that it remains that way for years to come.”(Styltst.co.uk, 2010–2014). Moreover, Bailey described Burberry as not just "coat" and "grid." Therefore, he tried to use slimmer cuts and luxurious colors adding technology elements to change the classic Thomas Burberry lightweight fabrics. (Owen12341, 2013) In addition, Bailey has been adventurous to change traditional style of Burberry classic coat. “For example, he has made no secret of his admiration for their classic gabardine trench coat, which for autumn/winter 2004 he abbreviated into capes, for both men and women.” (Top-Fashion-designers.info 2004-2014). In terms of his fashion business, it is an undisputable fact that he reached a career peak when he began to manage the Burberry brand.

( www.stylist.co.uk/)

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Livia Yu(Jui-Hui)

Another equally interesting British fashion designer is Vivienne Westwood. Westwood is an English fashion designer and businesswoman famous for her modern punk and new wave music style which she popularised. She made clothes for Malcolm McLaren, manager of the “SEX” clothes store in the King‟s Road and the band the sex pistols Westwood combined fashion and music style together, using the shock-value of punk.

Vivienne Westwood‟s design style could be distinguished from the 1980s. From 1971 to 1980, the styles were called Let It Rock, Sex and Seditionaries; Furthermore, Westwood met McLaren in 1965 and they were soon focused to another fashion minority in the London fashion fields. “It took great liberalism and bravery to wear rubber in the street. If you shopped there, you didn't go anywhere else. Westwood said” (V&A.com-Victoria and Albert Museum, 1 April–11 July 2004)

Bondage suit, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, 1976.

Museum no. T.252&A-1989 Sex (www.vam.ac.uk)

Vivienne Westwood‟s design style was still at the primary stage of development in British Fashion designer. In this early year stage, Westwood and McLaren‟s design is a key figure in the emerging Punk Rock phenomenon and extraordinary clothes. For example, the Seditionaries collection was an audacious fusion of all the subversive elements in Westwood and McLaren's work. On the other hand, “There were the ripped garments of 1950s pin-ups; the leather, chains and badges of the bikers; the straps and buckles of the fetishists. As Westwood said, you couldn't imagine the Punk Rock thing without the clothing” (V&A.com-Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004)

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Livia Yu(Jui-Hui)

Sex Pistols T-shirt, designed by Vivienne Westwood and Jamie Reid, customised by Johnny Rotten, late 1970s. Museum no. S.794-1990 (www.vam.ac.uk) (www.top-fashion-designers.info/)

Additionally, they changed fashion creative notions as well as people's idea about clothing and her design styles have proved to be an important fashion center for the punk movement.

During the 1980s her designs were called the Pirate, Nostalgia of Mud, Mini-Crini, Harris with Tweed and The Art of Fashion. In addition, because Westwood had predicted the punk movement fading, she was continuously chosen to play the role of leading new trend again. As a result, after her run with the Pistols, Westwood was driven to a new direction with her Pirate collection of frilly shirts and other attire. There were a variety of creative works which demonstrated a certain level of fearlessness; for instance, the mini-crini of the 1980s and the frayed tulle and tweed suit of the 1990s. It was like a kind of fashion revolution so that her styles was not just influencing fashion but also affecting future designers in this period. Specifically, “„Vivienne‟s effect on other designers has been rather like a laxative,‟ English designer Jasper Conran once explained.‟Vivienne does, and others follow.” (Biography.com)

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Pirate outfit, Vivienne Westwood, 1981-82.

Museum no. T.334 to I-1982 Pirate. 1981.

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Buffalo dress, Vivienne Westwood, 1982.

Museum no. T.269-1989 Nostalgia of Mud 1982-1983 (www.vam.ac.uk) (1)

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Between the 1980s and the 1990s, Westwood‟s design work became more and more mature; however, she still retained various originally extraordinary features. In particular, she incessantly referred to several styles such as Nostalgia of Mud, the fascia and Witches. However, these collections were in cooperation with McLaren. In brief, regarding to his styles, “the Nostalgia of Mud (A/W 1982), with its huge tattered skirts and sheepskin jackets in muddy colours and It was called Nostalgia of Mud and the fascia was covered by a world map.” Moreover, “for their Witches collection McLaren and Westwood began to conjure up darker spirits. Westwood found 'a magical, esoteric sign language' in the work of the New York graffiti artist Keith Haring.”

(V&A.com-Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004). These design works were produced by McLaren and Westwood when they opened a second shop in March 1982. The Witches collection was the final collaboration between McLaren and Westwood. In the period of their creative partnership, they created a new fashion language which is still influential nowadays.

By the later 1980s, the majority of work was created on her own. Westwood‟s design styles are innovative and exceptional but her design inspiration is often derived from some historical stories and traditional culture products. Several renowned design style examples can be seen in her later works such as The Hypnos collection, The Mini-Crini collection and The Harris Tweed collection.

The Hypnos collection featured sleek garments made out of synthetic sports fabric in fluorescent pinks and greens. In terms of The Mini-Crini collection, it saw an increasingly shaped look and the antithesis of the masculine shoulder pads as well as tight hip styles that were current in the 1980s.

These collections presented historical elements because Westwood believed that clothes were about changing the shape of the body through her historical research. Besides, The Harris Tweed collection celebrated her romantic story with traditional British clothing and also her developing obsession with empire. That is “Inspired by the ballet Petrushka, Westwood devised a 'mini-crini' that combined the tutu with an abbreviated form of the Victorian crinoline.” (V&A.com-Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004).

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Livia Yu(Jui-Hui)

It is imperative that people might be interested to understand something about the resemblance and differences between Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood. When it comes to their differences, it is certain that Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Bailey are of different genders and generations. Christopher Bailey was born in 1971 but that year was Westwood‟s blossoming career as a fashion designer. Therefore, it is relevant evidence that Westwood‟s yield on design works have been obviously more than Bailey‟s works. For example, London's famous Victoria and Albert Museum held a grand exhibition for Westwood where it displayed around one hundred and fifty classic works during thirty-four years in order to pay tribute to the greatest designer of the twentieth century. “Dame Vivienne Westwood at the launch of the Vivienne Westwood exhibition, V&A South Kensignton, 2004.” (V&A.com-Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004) Additionally, by comparison of their design style, Westwood and Bailey‟s fashion brand styles are extremely varied. Christopher Bailey was often tailor-made fashion clothing with luxury material for his customers such as Hollywood stars, European royalty and wealthy and he was more focused on magnificent and elegant fine design styles. Furthermore, his design career has serviced several noble fashion brands rather than managing individual brands. On the other hand, Vivienne Westwood‟s design styles are in marked contrast to that of British designers who are like Bailey‟s style. Vivienne Westwood‟s fashion design of apparel and accessories are not only appropriate for celebrities but also would be suitable for customers who enjoy the unique style; for instance, her individual brand store provides a variety of unique creativity design in favor of street style. That is “As Vivienne would later recall, her childhood years were far from London's high life. “I lived in a part of the country that had grown up in the Industrial Revolution," she once said. "I didn't know about art galleries…I'd never seen an art book, never been to the theatre.”” (Biography.com) Despite the fact that they have apparent differences, in terms of creativity and the ability to place fashion in British fashion circles, Westwood and Bailey may both be successful business people and vital designers in the United Kingdom. In addition, similarly, Westwood and Bailey -6-

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grew up in ordinary families as well as they also graduated from University of Westminster.

Additionally, Westwood and Bailey are equally both creativity designers and successful fashion brand promoters. That is to say, “Bailey has managed to fuse together Burberry‟s 155-year aesthetic with contemporary accents (such as leather contrasting sleeves and metallic sheen), making key pieces that season after season become the fashion editor‟s must-haves.” (Styltst.co.uk, 2010–2014) In conclusion, Vivienne Westwood early designs shaped the look of the punk rock movement as she rose to fame in the late 1970s. Nevertheless, after nearly 30 years, Christopher Bailey might inherit the spirit of managing the fashion brand and a fashion designer's enthusiasm. Consequently, Bailey continues to propel the Burberry brand into next century with his enthusiasm, customary passion and cheerful attitude. Thus, over the past few decades, recent British fashion designers such as Christopher Bailey may have a significant impact on early British fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood who made contributions to fashion industry. “Vivienne Westwood is a legend in her own lifetime, a designer who inspires many other designers and who makes clothes that delight her loyal customers.” (Top-Fashion-designers.info 2004-2014).

It is hard to compare Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Bailey achievements in the British fashion industry, because they are so different. However, they equally play an essential role in fashion circles around the world.

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Livia Yu(Jui-Hui)

REFERENCES ˙Biography.com, biography, Vivienne Westwood Biography Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/vivienne-westwood-20624587 Accessed 12th August 2014 ˙Owen12341, Burberry Prorsum Men's RTW Spring 2010, February 25, 2013 Available at: http://blog.yam.com/owen12341/article/59958931 Accessed 12thAugust 2014 ˙Styltst.co.uk, 2010–2014,

Available at:

http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/londonfashionweek/interview-christopher-bailey#image-rotator-1 Accessed 12th August 2014 ˙Top Fashion designers, 2004-2014, About Vivienne Westwood Available at: http://www.top-fashion-designers.info/vivienne-westwood.html Accessed 11thAugust 2014 ˙Top Fashion designers, 2004-2014, About Burberry Available at: http://www.top-fashion-designers.info/burberry.html Accessed 11th August 2014 ˙V&A. com, Victoria and Albert Museum, Vivienne Westwood designs Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/v/vivienne-westwood-designs/ Accessed 11th August 2014 ˙VOGUE.Com, Voguepedia, Designers CHRISTOPHER BAILEY Available at: http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Christopher_Bailey Accessed 12th August 2014 ˙VOGUE.Com, Voguepedia, Designers VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Available at: http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Vivienne_Westwood Accessed 12th August 2014

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