Lost to the world of fashion: the super designer Vivienne Westwood passed away at the age of 81 - voila! Fashion

Vivienne Westwood supports Scottish independence (Photo: Reuters)

But in the fashion world: British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood died tonight (Friday) at the age of 81. A statement on Twitter from her fashion house read: "Vivienne Westwood died today peacefully, surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better ".

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Westwood was a groundbreaking designer and synonymous with 1970s punk rock.

She was known for her rebelliousness, which remains her hallmark as an unapologetically political designer who has become one of the biggest names in British fashion.

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Westwood was born Vivian Isabel Swire on April 8, 1941 in a small town in England and grew up during the Depression during and after World War II.

When she was a teenager, her parents (a jade and a cotton weaver) moved the family to North London, where she studied jewelry making and goldsmithing.

Vivienne Westwood at London Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2015-16 (Photo: GettyImages)

Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2014 show in Paris, September 2013 (Photo: GettyImages, Pascal Le Segretain)

"My clothes have a story. They have an identity. They have a character and a purpose," said Westwood.

"That's why they become classics. Because they keep telling a story. They're still telling it."

The Westwood brand flourished in the 1990s, when fashionistas flocked to its runway shows in Paris, and stores opened around the world selling its collections, accessories and perfumes.

Iconic moment: Kate Moss walking in the Vivienne Westwood fashion show in 1995

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Quite often fashion took elements from history, with designs that influenced it including corsets, tweed suits and ball gowns.

A recycling mentality guided her work, and she repeatedly told fashionistas to "choose well" and "buy less."

From the late 1960s she lived in a small flat in South London for about 30 years and cycled to work.

Inspirational: Vivienne Westwood

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In 1992, Queen Elizabeth II awarded her the Order of the British Empire.

She, as usual, liked to shock - she arrived dressed in a skirt suit with a matching hat, and when she stood in front of the photographers she chose to "show off" her, turned around and thus they saw that Westwood had arrived at the palace without wearing underwear.

"The only reason I'm in fashion is to destroy the word 'conformity,'" Westwood said in her 2014 biography.

"Nothing interests me unless it has that element."

Pamela Anderson at the Vivienne Westwood show, summer 2009, in September (Photo: AP, MJ Kim)

Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2013 show, London (Photo: GettyImages, Gareth Cattermole)

Westwood used her public profile and name to promote social issues close to her heart, including nuclear disarmament and to protest against anti-terrorism laws and government spending policies that hurt the poor and vulnerable.

She held a large "climate revolution" banner at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics in London, often turning her models into eco-warriors on the runway.

Without a doubt, she will forever be remembered as one of the iconic and influential figures in the world of fashion.

Vivienne Westwood and her husband Andreas Krontler at the end of the designer's Fall/Winter 2013 show, Paris, March 2, 2013 (Photo: GettyImages, Pascal Le Segretain)

Theresa May wears a suit designed by Vivienne Westwood (Photo: GettyImages)

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