Vivienne Westwood unites her environmentalist and anti-capitalist activism with the harmonious tenets of Chinese Taoism. ‘We started with the five Taoist elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood,’ she says of the inspiration behind her S/S 2019 men’s and women’s collection. It also references the British designer’s passion for Chinese art, through the use of peony and dragon prints – ‘representing the life force of the cosmos’. Among earthy-toned tailoring, gauzy fluid dresses and slouchy denim feature inky typographic and floral prints that evoke bamboo calligraphy. Long skirts shimmer with jacquard Oriental blooms. ‘If we had culture instead of consumption we would not be in this environmental mess, because we would have a different ethos,’ she adds, referring to the capitalism-subverting Taoist principle of wu wei, or ‘inexertion’.
Vivienne Westwood, S/S19
China also inspired Vivienne Westwood’s Gold Label S/S 2012 collection, which featured a matching pencil skirt and plunging blouse adorned with calligraphic Chinese characters and inky blooms, paired with gold and red tassel earrings. ‘I hope their [Chinese] traditional wisdom and experience from a culture going back to Confucius may help us to save the planet,’ she explains. In 2011, Westwood partnered with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, encouraging marginalised women in Kenya into waged sewing work. ‘When I was in Nairobi, I met Wang Xijia, who was working there with the United Nations,’ she explained. ‘He wrote my name and the words “Green economy” in his calligraphy and I incorporated this in a print taken from a Chinese flower painting.’
Vivienne Westwood.
INFORMATION
-
Beloved sushi restaurant Sōgo Roll Bar comes to Highland ParkThe sushi hangout begins a new chapter in its second location, becoming the perfect spot for a quick grab-and-go or a relaxed tasting experience in east LA
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home countryAs he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
These are Dover Street Market’s jewellery designers to watch, exhibiting at the London store all summerIn a special exhibition, Dover Street Market London is highlighting 36 emerging jewellery designers to know – shop our pick of their pieces
