Iconic punk fashion designer Vivienne Westwood dies aged 81

Vivienne Westwood. Photo/Twitter

British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood who brought punk style to the world passed away at 81 on Thursday.

The news of her demise was announced via her official Twitter handle.

"Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London," a post on her official Twitter page reads. "The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better."

The announcement includes the following quote from Westwood: "Tao spiritual system. There was never more need for the Tao today. Tao gives you a feeling that you belong to the cosmos and gives purpose to your life; it gives you such a sense of identity and strength to know you're living the life you can live and therefore ought to be living: make full use of your character and full use of your life on earth."

Westwood first gained notoriety in the 1970s as the co-owner of the store SEX alongside Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, contributing to the development of the U.K. punk scene's aesthetic.

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The store evolved into a hangout for punk bands, and London punk rockers wearing Westwood's inventions gave a brand-new look to the globe by incorporating pinned-together parts, rubber and plastic clothing, numerous zippers, tartan bondage trousers, shredded fabric, and graffitied t-shirts. The influential shop employed Chrissie Hynde and members of the Sex Pistols, among others.

As Westwood's interests shifted away from the punk scene, the store was renamed Seditionaries - Clothes for Heroes and later World's End.

Along with creating her own clothing lines, she also made the uniforms for Virgin Atlantic's flight attendants and dressed Elisabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas," "Shadowboxer," and "Twenty-One."

Her life and efforts were documented in the 2018 documentary "Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist," Talulah Riley played her in the FX miniseries "Pistol." One of Nicholas Westwood's wedding gown designs was worn by Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw in the movie adaptation of "Sex and the City."

As per a report by Variety, Westwood was a longtime political activist, working to fight consumerism, protect the environment and protest causes such as wage inequality. She is survived by her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, and two sons.

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