VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

British fashion house born out of one of the most famous shops in London. In 1971 Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren took over 430 King's Road, Chelsea, and opened Let it Rock — Teddy-Boy clothing designed by Westwood. The address re-invented itself every couple of years (Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die in 1973; SEX in 1974; Seditionaries in 1976; World's End from 1980, with its famous backwards clock), becoming the engine room of British punk and dressing the Sex Pistols. From the 1981 Pirate collection onwards, Westwood moved into ready-to-wear collections that pulled British tailoring, historical dress, tartans and corsetry into a distinctly subversive luxury house. She was made a Dame in 2006. Westwood died on 29 December 2022; the brand continues under her husband and long-time collaborator Andreas Kronthaler, with the company headquartered in London and World's End still trading at 430 King's Road. Vivienne Westwood is privately owned (no PE / luxury-conglomerate parent).