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‘Rebel with a cause’ dies at 81 – Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood’s iconic life in photos

‘Rebel with a cause’ dies at 81 – Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood’s iconic life in photos
Designer Vivienne Westwood walks on the catwalk by Vivienne Westwood Red Label on day 3 of London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013, at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office on September 16, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

In the seventies, she was known for her London fashion boutique, SEX, and being behind the image of the punk rock band, the Sex Pistols. Her trademark safety pins, bondage suits, 'nippled' slogan t-shirts and anti-establishment attitude have marked fashion in significant ways. She was a fashion designer, an activist, and a disruptor who in 1992, received her Order of the British Empire wearing a dress and no underwear. Shocking! Westood died in Clapham, south London, on Thursday.

British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood outside Bow Street Magistrate’s Court, where she is facing a Breach of Peace case. (Photo by Peter Cade/Getty Images)

British Queen Elizabeth II (L) shakes hands with famous British designer Vivienne Westwood (R) during a reception for Awards for Export, Technological and Environmental Achievement at Buckingham Palace in London, this Monday evening, 01 March 1999. EPA PHOTO WPA POOL/PRESS ASSOCIATION/FIONA HANSON

English designer Vivienne Westwood attends the 2005 Venice Carnival on February 5, 2005 in Venice, Italy. The famous Venice carnival features parades, concerts and street theatre. It is the last time for indulgence by Catholics before lent. The carnival became popular when grand celebrations were held in 1162 after the important victory over Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia. (Photo by Giuseppe Cacace/Getty Images)

Visitors view a portrait of British designer Vivienne Westwood at an exhibition of her works in the Bund 18 Creative Centre on July 14, 2005 in Shanghai, China. The exhibition has displayed around 150 designs mainly from London Victoria & Albert Museum’s collection and Vivienne Westwood’s personal archive, covering the top fashion designer’s career from the 1970s to the present day. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Visitors view a pair of high-heel shoes designed by British designer Vivienne Westwood at an exhibition of her works in the Bund 18 Creative Centre on July 14, 2005 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Lily the Chihuahua dressed as Vivienne Westwood Bride at the Pet-A-Porter dog Fashion Show and champagne reception celebrating Harrods’ wide range of doggy fashions, at Harrods Knightsbridge on September 15, 2005 in London, England. (Photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images)

Designer Vivienne Westwood (R) and Director Of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti unveil a new collection of T-shirts, designed exclusively for human rights organisation Liberty, and created in response to the government’s anti-terror laws, at Garden Court Chambers on September 28, 2005 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Models are seen wearing Vivienne Westwood designs at this year’s inaugural Edinburgh International Fashion Festival on April 26, 2006, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Westwood’s theme ‘Fabric of Scotland’ is a unique view of the way in which Vivienne Westwood has used Scotland’s key textiles on catwalks over the decades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

A model walks the catwalk during the Vivienne Westwood fashion show as part of Russian Fashion Week on April 1, 2007 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for RFW)

A model walks the runway at the Mercedes Benz Fashion week spring/summer 2009 ready-to-wear fashion show of Vivienne Westwood Anglomania on July 20, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Pamela Anderson speaks with Vivienne Westwood at the Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2009 collection catwalk during London Fashion week on September 18, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood waits backstage for Vivienne Westwood’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection catwalk during London Fashion week September 18, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Daisy Lowe and her dog walk down the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Fashion Show on September 20, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

A model walks down the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Fashion Show on September 20, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Designer Vivienne Westwood acknowledges the applause of the public after the Vivienne Westwood Milan Menswear Autumn/Winter 2010 show on January 17, 2010 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

A model walks down the catwalk during the Vivienne Westwood Red Label fashion show during London Fashion Week on February 21, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

A model walks down the catwalk during the Vivienne Westwood Red Label fashion show during London Fashion Week on February 21, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Actress Emma Thompson, wearing a dress by Vivienne Westwood, with a pig attends the ‘Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang’ world film premiere at the Odeon West End on March 24, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Decorated chandeliers hang in the Room of Palace Time at the Enchanted Palace experience at Kensington Palace on March 25, 2010 in London, England. Historic Royal Palaces is undertaking a £12 million restoration of Kensington Palace – while these works are carried out visitors can experience a multisensory exhibition combining fashion and live performance in the State Apartments. In various rooms fashion designers Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest, Stephen Jones, Boudicca, Aminaka Wilmont and Echo Morgan have created installations from the princesses who once lived there – Mary, Anne, Caroline, Charlotte, Victoria, Margaret and Diana. Contemporary designs are displayed alongside historic items from the Royal Collection. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

A dress worn by Princess Margaret is displayed in the Room of Dancing Princesses at the Enchanted Palace experience at Kensington Palace on March 25, 2010 in London, England.  (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2011 show during Paris Fashion Week on October 1, 2010 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood (R) poses with her models on the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2011 show during Paris Fashion Week on October 1, 2010 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Models walk the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Show at London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2011 at on February 20, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood and models walk the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 show during Paris Fashion Week at Pavillon Concorde on March 4, 2011 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 show during Paris Fashion Week at Pavillon Concorde on March 4, 2011 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

A model showcases a design by Vivienne Westwood on the catwalk during the StyleAid Perth Fashion Event 2011 at the Burswood Entertainment Complex on July 29, 2011 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood show at London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 on September 17, 2011 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood show at London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 on September 17, 2011 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Lily Cole and designer Vivienne Westwood (L) arrive at a special ‘Celebration of the Arts event at the Royal Academy of Arts on May 23, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Designer Vivienne Westwood walks on the catwalk by Vivienne Westwood Red Label on day 3 of London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013, at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office on September 16, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood hands in a petition to 10 Downing Street on April 26, 2013 in London, England. Over a hundred campaigners including British fashion designers Dame Vivienne Westwood and Katharine Hamnett gathered on Parliament Square, some dressed as beekeepers, to urge British Secretary of State for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson, to not block EU proposals to suspend the use of bee killing pesticides. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood during backstage at the Vivienne Westwood show during Milan Menswear Fashion Week Spring Summer 2014 on June 23, 2013 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

Designer Vivienne Westwood arrives at her show during London Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2015/16 at the Science Museum on February 22, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015 on March 1, 2014 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood attends a protest march at the Fracked Future Carnival on March 19, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood, Sadie Frost, Leebo Freeman and Andy Gotts attend the Save The Arctic Collection launch at Waterloo Station on July 13, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway at the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 on September 20, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Protesters and models walk the runway at the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 on September 20, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, speaks at an event held to set fire to an estimated five million pounds worth of punk music memorabilia on the Thames in Chelsea, central London, Britain, 26 November 2016. Westwood and her son Joe Corre, son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, arranged the fire in protest over an event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of the Sex Pistols debut single, Anarchy in the UK. EPA/HAYOUNG JEON

Vivienne Westwood wears a ‘Theresa Talk Vivienne’ t-shirt when arriving for a celebration of British fashion hosted by British Prime Minister Theresa May and Natalie Massenet at 10 Downing Street on September 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on October 1, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler acknowledge the applause of the public after the Vivienne Westwood show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on October 1, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood walks the runway at the Vivienne Westwood show during the London Fashion Week Men’s June 2017 collections on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood backstage ahead of her show during the London Fashion Week Men’s June 2017 collections on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

A model backstage ahead of the Vivienne Westwood show during the London Fashion Week Men’s June 2017 collections on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Models walk the runway at the Vivienne Westwood show during the London Fashion Week Men’s June 2017 collections on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway at the Vivienne Westwood show during the London Fashion Week Men’s June 2017 collections on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway at the Vivienne Westwood show during the London Fashion Week Men’s June 2017 collections on June 12, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood speaks on stage to receive the European Cultural Award Taurus for social engagement during the European Cultural Award Gala in Vienna, Austria, 20 October 2019. EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

British designer Vivienne Westwood (R) kisses her husband Andreas Kronthaler at the end of the Vivienne Westwood Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images)

Bella Hadid walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images)

A model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images)

US model Bella Hadid model walks the runway during the Vivienne Westwood show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 on February 29, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images)

Stella Moris, the partner of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, is photographed with their sons Max, 3, and Gabriel, 4, in her Vivienne Westwood-designed wedding dress before driving to Belmarsh Prison where they are due to marry, at a hotel in London on March 23, 2022 in London, England.  (Photo by Dylan Martinez-Pool/Getty Images)

Dame Vivienne Westwood is suspended 10 Feet high inside giant bird cage in protest for Julian Assange at Old Bailey on July 21, 2020 in London, England. Dame Vivienne Westwood, re-entering public life for the first time after having been shielded for 16 weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown, suspends in giant birdcage in front of The Old Bailey Criminal Court, in protest about the illegal U.S. extradition of Julian Assange for telling the truth about American war crimes. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood walks down the catwalk after her Red Label fashion show during London Fashion Week on February 21, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Vivienne Westwood and models walk the runway during the Vivienne Westwood Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 show during Paris Fashion Week at Pavillon Concorde on March 4, 2011 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood protests against Fracking outside High Court in London, Britain, 18 December 2018. Campaigners are set to challenge new planning guidelines for fracking in the High Court on 18 December. EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN DM/ ML

Gallery

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