Fashion designer and punk movement leader Vivienne Westwood dies aged 81

29 December 2022, 21:30 | Updated: 29 December 2022, 21:37

Vivienne Westwood is pictured in London in May this year
Vivienne Westwood is pictured in London in May this year. Picture: Getty

By Adam Solomons

Iconic British fashion designer and leading punk figure Dame Vivienne Westwood has died aged 81.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Westwood died peacefully surrounded by loved ones at her home in London.

Her fashion house of the same name tweeted just after 9pm: "Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.

"The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better."

Westwood shot to fame in the 1970s at the height of the punk movement.

Her designs have since become a global brand associated with a spiky conception of Britishness.

She was awarded a damehood in 2006.

Westwood famously did not wear knickers to collect her OBE from the Queen in 1992.

Read more: Football icon Pelé dies aged 82 after cancer battle as Gary Lineker pays tribute to the "great entertainer"

Westwood opens a V&A exhibition of her work in 2004
Westwood opens a V&A exhibition of her work in 2004. Picture: Getty
Vivienne Westwood is pictured in 1977
Vivienne Westwood is pictured in 1977. Picture: Getty

Husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler said tonight: "I will continue with Vivienne in my heart.

"We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with."

Westwood also spent years campaigning for civil rights, animal rights and other liberal political causes.

In 2020 she notably led a public protests against the detention of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Suspended inside a cage, she said: "Don't extradite Assange - it's a stitch-up."

Westwood shielded for 16 weeks during the Covid pandemic, but re-emerged to public life after restrictions were lifted.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Breaking
Morgan Dorsett, 19, has been named as the victim of the dog attack in Bristol.

Woman, 19, savaged to death by 'XL Bully' in Bristol flat named

Breaking
Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson outside Derby Crown Court

Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson cleared of violent coercive control against wife

Breaking
Donald Trump greets Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the White House for crucial talks with Donald Trump

Breaking
WhatsApp Icon on a Smartphone

WhatsApp goes down for thousands as users unable to send or receive messages

Chithra Vanmeeganathan died in crash involving a No 395 single-decker bus, a car, and other pedestrians.

Pictured: Woman, 46, who died in horror London bus crash

The Gaza documentary has already been pulled from iPlayer

Counter-terror police 'assessing' BBC's controversial Gaza documentary

England's Jos Buttler, who has announced he will step down as England's white-ball captain after Saturday's clash with South Africa

Jos Buttler steps down as captain of England’s white-ball cricket team after Champions Trophy exit

Attackers broke into a man's home on Lipson Road, Plymouth, before covering him in acid in a savage assault.

Man doused in acid after savage attackers break into his Plymouth home - as thugs still at large

Gene Hackman with Betsy Arakawa

Chilling 911 call reveals moment distressed caretaker discovers Gene Hackman and wife's body

A police officer holding a suspect in handcuffs.  Focus on the hand and cuffs

25 arrested as part of global crackdown on AI-generated child sex abuse images

Omar Wilson, 31, repeatedly punched and kicked Mussie Imnetu outside a restaurant in west London last summer.

'Monster' who beat 'defenceless' top chef to death during Notting Hill Carnival jailed for 18 years

Riot police officers take cover from molotov cocktails thrown by demonstrators as clashes break out during a rally as part of a general strike called by unions to mark the second anniversary of the country's worst rail tragedy

Protesters throw petrol bombs and police hit back with tear gas as demonstration in Greece descends into violence

Actor Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa in June 1993. (AP Photo)

Everything we know so far about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa

Heston Blumenthal

TV chef Heston Blumenthal says wife sectioning him was 'best thing' to happen - as he opens up about bipolar diagnosis

Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Nationwide and First Direct customers are all suffering issues

Major bank apps including Lloyds, Halifax and Nationwide go down sparking payday chaos

Exclusive
Wes Streeting has said the BBC is in a 'terrible mess' over the Gaza documentary

BBC is in 'a terrible mess', says Streeting - as TV bosses apologise for for 'serious flaws' in Gaza documentary