Vivienne Westwood is dead: British fashion designer died at 81

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Vivienne Westwood

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BEN STANSALL / AFP

Vivienne Westwood is dead. The fashion designer, known for her androgynous cuts and provocative slogans, has died at the age of 81, her agents confirmed to the British news agency PA on Thursday evening.

The Brit has also made a name for herself on the fashion scene since the 1970s with her irreverent attitude towards the establishment.

Vivienne died "peacefully and surrounded by her family in Clapham, south London," it said.

Her husband Andreas Kronthaler emphasized in a statement: "We worked to the end and she gave me many things to continue with.

Thank you darling."

Westwood is considered a pioneer of punk in the fashion industry.

And the daughter of a cotton spinner and grocer from the English county of Derbyshire has always been a bit unusual.

Born Vivienne Isabel Swire on April 8, 1941 in the parish of Tintwistle near Manchester, she is said to have even made fashion changes to her school uniform.

She wanted to be a writer, but then decided to train as a primary school teacher.

Throughout her life, she campaigned for animals and the environment - well into her old age, she was hardly absent from any major demonstration.

She smeared cake on her face in support of Julian Assange.

In a bright yellow outfit, she sat in an oversized birdcage in front of a courthouse in London.

She ran a boutique on London's King's Road with Malcolm McLaren, manager of the punk band Sex Pistols.

She then built a global fashion brand that now has stores in the UK, France, Italy, America and Asia.

Crazy outfits were her trademark for a long time.

In 1992 Westwood was admitted to the Order of the British Empire, 14 years later the Queen made her a lady.

She is survived by two sons: photographer Ben Westwood and Joseph Corré, founder of lingerie company Agent Provocateur.

dop/dpa