Vivienne Westwood is credited with bringing punk and new wave clothes to the mainstream, but the British designer wasn’t always celebrated for her innovations. “When she started, people mocked her,” we’re told in an exclusive clip from “Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist.”
Lorna Tucker’s new doc about the game-changing designer charts Westwood’s journey from her humble beginnings in Derbyshire, England to the runways of Paris and Milan. The clip illustrates the uphill battle she faced. We see Westwood appearing on a talk show and introducing models wearing her unconventional designs. Each look causes the audience to erupt in laughter — they are treating the clothes like a joke.
“If they don’t stop laughing I shall tell the next person not to come on,” Westwood threatens. But it’s not long before she changes her mind about the audience’s unexpected reaction.
“I’m naturally drawn to powerful, inspiring, and strong women. I met Vivienne many years ago, and the more I got to know about her the more I was inspired,” Tucker told us. She emphasized, “I never set out to make a fashion film — instead I wanted to create a portrait of an artist, businesswoman, and activist. ‘Westwood’ is a film that presents Vivienne Westwood as she is today but dips back in time to explore how she got there, and why she’s as relevant as ever.”
“Westwood” opens June 8 in NY and June 15 in LA.
