Stars attend memorial for punk designer Vivienne Westwood

By The Associated Press on February 16, 2023.

LONDON (AP) – Fashion and music stars including Victoria Beckham, Stormzy and Kate Moss gathered at a London cathedral on Thursday at a memorial service for Vivienne Westwood, the designer who helped create the outrageous look of punk rock.

Musicians Bob Geldof and Nick Cave, actors Helena Bonham Carter and Vanessa Redgrave and artist Tracey Emin were among mourners attending the service at Southwark Cathedral to commemorate Westwood, who died in December aged 81. Figures from the fashion world included British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and designer Erdem Moralioglu.

Many wore tartan – a signature Westwood fabric – or bold tailoring to the private service in honor of the designer.

In the 1970s, Westwood’s boutique, Sex, on London’s King’s Road was an incubator of punk. Her torn, safety pinned garments, S&M references and provocative T-shirts became the genre’s signature style.

Westwood went on to enjoy a long career highlighted by triumphant runway shows and museum exhibitions, as well as environmental activism. In 2006 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

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