【EV in London】The art lover is a freedom fighter - VIVIENNE WESTWOOD.

Hello guys, the third week has passed, and today I am glad to share with you that I went to a special exhibition last week, which was the private collection exhibition of the famous British designer Ms. Vivienne Westwood. While staying in London, Christie's was commissioned to hold this auction. More than 200 fashion items were displayed in the exhibition hall, which was a visual feast. This opportunity was really not to be missed.

Vivienne Westwood is one of the most important British fashion designers in history, known for her punk style. Although she left in 2022, the creativity of this revolutionary designer still continues to influence the global arts festival, fashion industry, and culture history. She is recognized as the most representative fashion designer at the end of the twentieth century.

The deceased fashion designer’s personal clothes were gathered here, including early designs from the 1983/1984 autumn and winter “Witches” series. The clothing, shoes and jewelry are all from the fashion brand founded by Vivienne Westwoods, which has great historical and cultural value. They are all personally selected by her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, who is also the current creative director of the brand.

Here you can see her designs from different periods. Since the clothes are displayed on each independent model, most of the clothes can be seen on the front and back. Some are elegant and noble, and some are casual and free. As a brand designer, Ms. Vivienne Westwood was not actually a designer at the beginning. After graduation, she became a primary school teacher, but her talent first emerged when she designed wedding dresses and jewelry for her own wedding. Until later, the store "Let It Rock" was established and became the center of the punk movement in the 1970s. It was renamed "Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die" and then shortened to "Sex". The huge pink logo means that only the brave could enter. It became the beginning of the brand and Ms. Vivienne Westwood as the godmother of punk.

The design is bold and trendy, and the slogan tops that are still popular today began to appear at that time, including chain cleats, torn strips of cloth decoration, and spiked hair, full of rebellion against the old world. It had a clear and unique style when it was founded. With the continuous development of the brand, the design team has a deeper and deeper understanding of the style. It has not changed in 40 years, making the brand style more clear. The founder of the brand, Vivienne Westwood, was also the first in the fashion industry to start cross-border attempts. She is a person who isn’t afraid to try anything, which also makes the brand's products very rich. Later, she broke through the convention and found inspiration in neoclassical feminism and environmentalism for design creation, making Vivienne Westwoods' fashion stage always full of surprises. Especially in the exhibition room, we can see many eye-catching slogans, such as "Wild Beauty." "End Ecocide." to clearly let visitors feel the brand attitude.

For example, the well-known Saturn element was when Vivienne Westwood was designing a new series with a royal theme. She flipped through astronomy books while traveling, and after reading photos and articles about the Milky Way, stars and Saturn, she suddenly had the idea to combine the crown and jewelry elements with Saturn. This pattern became the most classic image of the brand!

Next we enter the broadcast room, which is also a space for displaying poker projects. It is not only fashion, but also a form of artistic expression. Vivienne Westwood redesigned and was commissioned to produce a series of poker projects at the last moment, combining the slogan "Collect the cards. Connect the cards" to promote the message of protecting the environment. Through a number of huge poker projects, she reveals the urgent issues such as climate change, social inequality and human rights that she has always been concerned about.

I want you to help me save the world, I can’t do it all on my own- DAME VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

This auction is to raise funds for the charity causes that she has supported throughout her life.The proceeds will be used to support the Vivian Foundation founded by her, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders and Greenpeace. Let’s “build more” better societies together and stop climate change.”

The in-depth understanding of each work and the story behind each work is really fascinating and cannot be extricated. It would be a huge project to introduce the on-site exhibits one by one. If you are interested, you can obtain relevant information on Christie's website.

Not only were the exhibits eye-catching, but the visitors were also well-dressed to attend. The yuppie-style grandpas, French-style ladies and punk youths appeared together in this large space, but they didn’t find it strange. Everyone can find something of their own in this exhibition. This is the charm of Vivienne Westwood and it is quite consistent with the brand philosophy. Fashion is the idea that you can express your own ideas. Vivienne Westwood does this. Her brand of fashion hopes to make high-value fashion, but relatively affordable for everyone. Really good fashion emphasizes quality over quantity, and it is useless no matter how inferior quality it is. This is the same as the concept of environmental protection she believes in. 

In addition, she is better at making unique and limit fashions, hoping to see consumers wearing unique clothes. For the Vivienne Westwood brand, consumer purchasing power is not an issue; what matters more is consumers’ recognition of the brand’s style.I think this is also an important element of luxury goods. For sure, a luxury brand will not lack luxury series. Both are cheap and high-priced fashions in the brand. Relatively expensive fashions take a lot of time to design and produce. For Vivienne Westwood brand, time is the focus and definition of luxury. When we experience and appreciate this exhibition from the bottom of our hearts, there are too many details worthy of our consideration and appreciation. From the beginning of entering this exhibition, the iconic pink neon characters greatly show the brand's style, to the exhibition The space layout and arrangement of the room, the flow of the visit, and the 360-degree viewing of the auction works at the same time give people enough space to keep a distance. They also provide coffee and some biscuits outside the exhibition, as well as the complete collection of this auction. Illustrated books and canvas bags can be purchased as souvenirs. Such a thoughtful auction exhibition can be said to be more luxurious than visiting a luxury department store. Anyway for me, this exhibition is a worthwhile and unique trip.