BÁRBARA SÁNCHEZ-KANE
VIVIENNE DIDN’T OCCUPY a single specific place; she exposed new means of distorted possibilities.
Her vision climbed as wild seeds dispersed with the power of wind, forging dissident underground gardens.
I know those gardens will erupt and influence others to arise.
Bárbara Sánchez-Kane is a fashion designer and artist based in Mexico City.
PATRIC DICAPRIO
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD is part of my holy trinity: Martin Margiela, Rei Kawakubo, Vivienne Westwood. She represents the unification of polar opposites: honest + mysterious, futuristic + historical, soft-spoken + sartorially loaded, subversive + respectful, dreadfully serious + playful.
My obsession with Vivienne solidified several years back when I discovered a 1982 video of her “Punkature” show. I was blown away. The clothes looked old and tattered, as if they had been dug up from the earth. The models came down the runway at their own pace: some sauntering and teasing the crowd, others running alone or in twos and threes. There’s a sense of urgency, as if Viv and the models couldn’t wait another minute to unleash the collection on the world. The audience is laughing with pleasure. There is a playful, utopian feel, as if to say, “Imagine if fashion (or the world) could be this easy, simple, and beautiful.” There is a video of her being interviewed directly after, and she can barely speak. Had she just emerged from a trance? Had Vivienne, through the staging moments before, been channeling a divine purpose, speaking in tongues?
When I discovered this video, I had already started Vaquera but had not yet done a runway show. I had always pictured runway shows to be pretentious, utilitarian, inaccessible. “Punkature” was evidence to the contrary. The cast and the message are so relatable. Before I knew it, Vaquera was booking a church, then a Chinese restaurant, then a boxing gym for shows of our own. We became a brand known for our shows, and I owe a lot of that to Vivienne and to that video in particular.
Patric Dicaprio is a New York–based fashion designer and the founder and creative director of Vaquera.
HILLARY TAYMOUR
I HAVE ALWAYS been so inspired by Dame Vivienne Westwood’s activism. I remember a picture of her CLIMATE REVOLUTION T-shirt from spring/summer 2013 really opening my eyes. She is a pioneer in every way: The simple idea of having a large fashion brand and telling your consumers to shop less and be more conscientious and active feels inconceivable—until you see her work. Fashion and politics are practically impossible to balance, and she paved the path for designers like me to continue the narrative. It is rare to have designers who are not mimicking culture but rather creating it. Westwood will be forever a hero in fashion.
Hillary Taymour is the founding designer of the fashion house Collina Strada.