Vivienne Westwood was trained as a teacher before becoming a fashion designer.

She was 30 years old when she opened a boutique with Malcom McLaren in 1971, the year that she officially embarked on her career as a fashion designer.

Her early designs were firmly rooted in the 1970s, specially the punk youth subculture.

Subversive, irreverent and definitely, not establishment, Vivienne Westwood captured the essence of street wear during that era.

Her creative spark ignited the punk and bondage craze.

As the decades passed, her designs had matured, but there is still that touch of iconoclastic non-establishment in their brilliance.

Twenty years after she started, she was named British Designer of the Year for both 1990 and 1991, as recognition for her great influence in fashion.

Vivienne Westwood currently shows her menswear collection in Milan and womenswear collections in Paris.

Menswear Spring 2007 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)

Spring 2008 (Photo by Giovanni Pucci)

Books about Vivienne Westwood:

Vivienne Westwood : Fashion, Perversity and the Sixties Laid Bare Buy this book now!

Vivienne Westwood Buy this book now!