Vivienne Westwood is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she made clothes for Malcolm McLaren’s boutique in the King’s Road. It was their ability to synthesise clothing and music that shaped the 1970s UK punk scene, dominated by McLaren’s band, the Sex Pistols. She was inspired by the shock-value of punk — “seeing if one could put a spoke in the system”. Westwood went on to open four shops in London, eventually expanding throughout the United Kingdom and the world, selling an increasingly varied range of merchandise, some of it linked to her many political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups. May her quotes inspire you to take action so that you may live your dreams.
1. “The sexiest people are thinkers.” Vivienne Westwood
2. “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody’s buying far too many clothes.” Vivienne Westwood
3. “You have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes.” Vivienne Westwood
4. “Feminists wish women to seem like men. They’re not men.” Vivienne Westwood
5. “Confidence is the best fashion accessory.” Vivienne Westwood
6. “Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well. ” Vivienne Westwood
7. “Ideas make me happy.” Vivienne Westwood
8. “Save the rainforest for your loved ones.” Vivienne Westwood
9. “When in doubt, overdress.” Vivienne Westwood
10. “My clothes have a story. They have an identity. They have a character and a purpose. That’s why they become classics. Because they keep on telling a story. they are still telling it.” Vivienne Westwood
11. “My clothes are very popular in Japan.” Vivienne Westwood
12. “You have to make people feel great before you get change.” Vivienne Westwood
13. “There’s nothing else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere.” Vivienne Westwood
14. “If you dress up, it helps your personality to emerge – if you choose well.” Vivienne Westwood
15. “It’s a philosophy of life. A practice. If you do this, something will change, what will change is that you will change, your life will change, and if you can change you, you can perhaps change the world.” Vivienne Westwood
16. “I don’t watch television, and I rarely go to the cinema. I eat only vegetables and fruit, and to me it’s the most aspirational diet because it’s so easy. It’s quite simple, the cooking I do.” Vivienne Westwood
17. “I was born during the war and grew up in a time of rationing. We didn’t have anything. It’s influenced the way I look at the world.” Vivienne Westwood
18. “I don’t feel comfortable defending my clothes. But if you’ve got the money to afford them, then buy something from me. Just don’t buy too much.” Vivienne Westwood
19. “The best thing you can do for children, I think, is to give them ideals.” Vivienne Westwood
20. “I am attracted to people who make this effort in knowing what suits them – they are individual and stylish.” Vivienne Westwood
21. “We have got to change our ethics and our financial system and our whole way of understanding the world.” Vivienne Westwood
22. “I’ve lived all my life as if I’m young.” Vivienne Westwood
23. “My children came out as individuals in their own right. They were not my products. They had their own characters and were very strong-minded. I gave them a lot of freedom when they were still very young. The one thing they got from me is morals. They would never betray anyone. They are really good people.” Vivienne Westwood
24. “There is a real connection between culture and climate change. We all have a part to play and if you engage with life, you will get a new set of values, get off the consumer treadmill, and start to think, and it is these great thinkers who will rescue the planet.” Vivienne Westwood
25. “The age in which we live, this non-stop distraction, is making it more impossible for the young generation to ever have the curiosity or discipline because you need to be alone to find out anything.” Vivienne Westwood
26. “In history people dressed much better than we do today.” Vivienne Westwood
27. “The bravery shown by Azza Suleiman who dared to stand up for another woman who was being beaten, and paid a heavy price in doing so, is both awe-inspiring and humbling.” Vivienne Westwood
28. “More people should read books. It’s the most concentrated experience you can have.” Vivienne Westwood
29. “My beauty secret is absolutely no sun.” Vivienne Westwood
30. “You’ve got to invest in the world, you’ve got to read, you’ve got to go to art galleries, you’ve got to find out the names of plants. You’ve got to start to love the world and know about the whole genius of the human race. We’re amazing people.” Vivienne Westwood
31. “What I remember as a child is that other kids didn’t care about suffering. I always did.” Vivienne Westwood
32. “The young need discipline and a full bookcase.” Vivienne Westwood
33. “There is so much that people take for granted.” Vivienne Westwood
34. “Wear something different for a change, so you don’t look like a clone.” Vivienne Westwood
35. “I’m not terribly interested in beauty. What touches me is someone who understands herself.” Vivienne Westwood
