If you were pushed to name a handful of the most significant names in British fashion design, there’s no way that you could do the list without putting Dame Vivienne Westwood on it. Although she may be an eccentric character, and she might have designed a few out-of-this-world outfits in her time, there’s no denying her impact upon the industry. That said, it’s time that she gets shown even more appreciate for what she’s brought to the fashion world. After all, would we be where we are without her? Would we have been as brave to go in certain directions without her input? We track back to show what she brought to the table, during some of the most significant periods in fashion.

Westwood’s real breakthrough in the industry came after the point where she was heavily influenced by all things Punk. It spurred on her imagination massively and gave her the opportunity to immerse herself in a very prominent point in the history of global tastes, especially when it came to the idea of anti-fashion and how widespread it became as a phenomenon. She saw links between it and centuries far detached from her days, and was able to make an impact, when she put her ideas into affect through the 1980s. Those times were filled with far-reaching ideas which few would ever have considered, but it paid off for her.

Going from a Pirates theme in 1982, to Clint Eastwood in 1984, a particularly prominent change came when her New Romance phase coincided with significant shifts in Western culture. She was able to take it all under her own control and push out a fashion style which was a real representation of the time and the people at the forefront of the celebrity world at the time. She was known for bringing a tattered, well-worn chic feel to her designs, and no other period was able to demonstrate that more than “The Pagan Years”, which poked fun at those who took clothing too seriously, and was still able to be stylish, without trying to purposefully give off a statement.

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