Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist
U.K. 2018

Opening 20 Dec 2018

Directed by: Lorna Tucker
Writing credits:

In Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist we are introduced to Vivienne Westwood, the petite fashionista originally from a working class family in North West England. She began her professional career as a primary school teacher and housewife. It wasn’t until she met Malcom McLaren, the future manager of the Sex Pistols that she began to take her hobby for fashion and start to work on it more professionally. She became one of the founders of punk fashion in the 1970s. After her personal and business relationship with McLaren ended in the ‘80s, she started out on her own and made an even bigger impact with her fashion shows. However, despite her popularity, the press was less than kind and it took until the early ‘90s for her to be recognized by the industry when she was voted Designer of the Year in 1990 and 1991.

With comprehensive interviews, director Lorna Tucker highlights Westwood’s quirky nature and how her politics play a strong role in the design of her clothes. She doesn’t just design for beauty, but she is looking to combine quality with a political statement. Tucker focuses throughout the documentary mostly on the story of Vivienne Westwood herself and her clothes curiously come in second to her interesting personality and history. Nevertheless, the insight into the woman behind the fashion house and the behind-the-scenes look at her creative process makes this a worthwhile film to check out. (Rose Finlay)