Legendary designer Vivienne Westwood has died, her brand confirmed in a statement.
According to her namesake label, the groundbreaking punk designer, 81, died peacefully surrounded by family on Dec. 29 in Clapham, South London.
“Vivienne continued to do the things she loved, up until the last moment, designing, working on her art, writing her book, and changing the world for the better,” her brand wrote in a statement. “She led an amazing life. Her innovation and impact over the last 60 years has been immense and will continue into the future.”
Her husband and creative partner, Andreas Kronthaler wrote, “I will continue with Vivienne in my heart. We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with. Thank you darling.”
In a statement written by the designer, who considered herself a Taoist, Westwood said: “Tao spiritual system. There was never more need for the Tao today. Tao 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 also added, “Julian Assange is a hero and has been treated atrociously by the UK government. Capitalism is a crime. It is the root cause of war, climate change and corruption.”
Westwood and her sons and granddaughter established The Vivienne Foundation, a nonprofit that will launch next year to “honor, protect and continue the legacy of Vivienne’s life, design and activism.” It’s designed on four pillars: climate change, stop war, defend human rights and protest capitalism and built to “create tangible change.”
Westwood got her start in the business by disrupting the status quo with her punk-rock designs, beloved by musicians and rock icons like the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop. She opened her boutique, SEX, with her partner Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren on King’s Road in London and went on to define the punk scene with her designs, which included the now-iconic distressed graphic tee featuring Queen Elizabeth II with a safety pin across her face.
Her designs and collections started to hit the mainstream by the ’80s and ’90s and over the years have covered red carpets and dominated runways, all while maintaining that punk rock edge she’s known and loved for. The designer famously received an OBE in 1992 from Queen Elizabeth while wearing nothing underneath her skirt (which is said to have amused the Queen) and later became a Dame.
The cause of death has not been revealed.
