Fashion is global, influence comes from everywhere in the world. You can wear anything in our part of the world. Anything goes.

But don’t let the world get smaller: World Wide Woman cultivates her values for the sake of our planet and all who live on her. We hope she is growing more powerful and in numbers, in touch with the wonder of… reality, controlling her man through the fire of her Imagination and vision.

Traditionally and in general, men have been the pioneers, women the civilizers; they have had vast responsibility in educating their children, they are the center of the home, bringing sweetness and delight, stability and refinement; they are the guardians of culture, most importantly in their creation of the salon (Napoleon agreed to ennoble his generals on condition that their wives opened a salon). It is women who forge the bonds of society.

For the woman who is interested in fashion, she dresses to look important. This depends on taking care on what suits her; the braver she is, the easier and the more beautiful is the woman who makes the dress her own. I expect it is like riding a horse who is yours. Together you dream of open spaces and a world big enough for love and a way to feel free and noble and playful.

Oh yes, walk on a glittering runway with boots made of gold paillettes which dazzle the eyes so you seem to walk on air.

Vivienne Westwood

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“With our Red Label we must always refer to Murray Blewett. He has been with me for 20 years or more and knows my archive better than anyone. He has been using these archives to develop the Red Label collection and I think it gets better and better every season. He is an excellent teacher and believes in fashion.
Murray lives near Portobello Road and for this collection has looked to the people that live and work in this area. The market stall sellers and vintage collectors, the fruit and veg men with their aprons, the army surplus stalls, the countryside gentry and the kids returning from nights out. The collection is about London life, and this historical market that draws all classes of our society. It is about Britishness.

Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice through the looking glass’ evokes this feeling of British society and change. This is the mood of the show. Alice and the Red Queen have to run and run and run and the White Queen is dragged through a bush backwards by the strong winds – nothing is still here everything is constantly changing.

I heard on BBC Radio 4 ‘Gardeners Question Time’ a sheep farmer from Wales expressing his worry that he could no longer spend time shearing his sheep as the price of the wool would not amount to the cost of shearing them. This worries me as it shows how unsustainable our way of life is. The farmer also suggested we use the sheep skin as mulch for our gardens – there are many ways it can be used but it seems we are just not using it. My husband Andreas and I believe that in the near future only natural fibres will be considered luxury, and will be in high demand.

The Red Label has always been about using English wool fabrics and knitwear. Be sustainable. Use wool.”
- Vivienne Westwood

Ellie Goulding, Jessie J and Paloma Faith all chose Vivienne Westwood gowns for the event, while Take That took to the stage in Vivienne Westwood’s MAN Spring-Summer 2011 collection for both their performance and their award acceptance.

Photos by John Marshall/jmenternational

“We are thrilled to finally open our new shop in Los Angeles.  We have fond memories of our time there and especially love the influence of Old Hollywood.  Vivienne’s designs speak to this timeless sentiment; we look forward to opening our doors to our existing clients and introducing the brand to a new customer base” – Creative Director, Andreas Kronthaler.

Vivienne Westwood has designed the latest collection of ‘Chari-tees’ for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day – 18th March 2011.  Westwood has always had a passion for things that matter and has never been afraid to make a political or cultural statement through fashion.

Working closely with Comic Relief on a range of T-shirts, Westwood comments, “I once did a collection called ‘I am Expensiv’, meaning that we are supported by the suffering of the whole world in our privilege bubbles and we must try and help people a bit. Comic Relief does a lot and I try to help where I can. My main problem at the minute is climate change. I do believe we are an endangered species and I think it is great to try and do anything you possibly can even if to help just one person. But Comic Relief does more than that.”

Many of Vivienne Westwoods’s collections take inspiration from history and the Red Nose Day T-shirts are no exception.  Featuring striking black and white prints of historical figures and icons, prints include Shakespeare, Hogarth imagery, the famous Vivienne Westwood punk girl and skull and cross-bones.

The Ethical Fashion Programme supports the work of over 7,000 women who live in conditions of extreme poverty but who have a strong desire to improve their lives. Through the programme’s extensive network, some of the poorest people in the world now have access to a job and income that subsequently benefits the entire community.

Yet beyond the benefit of earning an income – giving them the possibility to pay for school fees, medical care and other basic needs – all women involved in Vivienne Westwood’s Ethical Fashion Africa collection are empowered by the pride they take in their work and the new skills learnt.  One day, they hope to have their own companies and train the next generation of skilled workers, building the economy and raising the standard of living in Kenya.

Vivienne Westwood’s Ethical Fashion Africa collection has a holistic approach that is 100% dedicated to supporting disadvantaged communities to improve lives.  Dame Westwood’s involvement in the Ethical Fashion Programme allows thousands of women to support themselves and their families with a life-long trade.

Shop the collection online now.

For more information on the Ethical Fashion Programme please visit www.intracen.org/ethicalfashion.

The new Vivienne Westwood MAN collection for Autumn/Winter 2011 recently showed on the catwalk as a part of Men’s Fashion Week in Milan.
“With royal marriage in the air, who would you choose to be your bridegroom? Come on girls our catwalk is your chance to dream.”

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