Vivienne Westwood: Fall 2021 Ready-To-Wear Collection

With over 90% of this collection made from recycled materials, it’s clear that Westwood is continuing in her efforts to reach as many audiences as possible when it comes to environmental activism. Having changed her perspective on fashion considerably in recent years, Westwood’s latest designs are united in their focus on sustainability and improving our impact on the Earth’s future. Her Fall 2021 collection is refreshing in the way that it refuses to conform to stereotypes surrounding sustainability and how ‘fashionable’ eco-friendliness and ethical sourcing can be. It’s colourful, bright and trendy, showcasing her activist punk rock classics whilst intertwining important messages about sourcing and recycling.

One of the main inspirations for the print used in this collection is the 1743 painting Daphnis and Chloe (link here) by François Boucher (1703-1770), which can be glimpsed in a number of pieces. Many of Boucher’s paintings feature gallant shepherds and shepherdesses that are “simply but elegantly dressed, following the decorum of fashionable courting”, but this specific painting is an exception, its half-nude figures – taken from the ancient Greek Longus’ self-same pastoral romance – displaying open sexuality and eroticism. Westwood herself is a bit of an exception within the fashion industry, and her drive to work outside the normative and follow her own path allows her to influence and be influenced without social prejudgement.

Colour, pattern, texture and of course, beautifully tailored garments – these are the hallmarks of Westwood’s vision, all made from recycled fabrics and materials. This collection contains a lot of favourites, from impeccably tailored suits to the famed renaissance corsets, creating a nostalgic and compelling continuity between old and new and cementing Westwood’s stamp on the brand’s most iconic and timeless pieces. Bright pinks, velvet blues and textured greens populate a collection that is a far cry from the comfort clothes and neutral tones of the pandemic. With over 52 different looks in total, each piece brings with it a promise of hope and vitality for the future, whilst their repeated elements and motifs stridently proclaim Westwood’s sustainable ethos – that perhaps less really is more.

Click here for the full collection.