Dame Vivienne Westwood in pictures: From punk to catwalk pioneer and activist

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Dame Vivienne Westwood, who has died at the age of 81, was the provocative doyenne of British fashion who married the anti-establishment ethos of punk with the flamboyance of high fashion.

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She rose to fame in the 1970s after opening a shop in London with then-partner Malcolm McLaren, selling outlandish outfits that came to define the punk style. The shop was a favourite haunt of the members of The Sex Pistols, who McLaren went on to manage.

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From her punk origins, she expanded her horizons to establish herself as a leading independent designer in the 1980s and went on to dress a host of celebrities through the years - from singer Olivia Rodrigo and actress Zendaya...

...through to fashion icon and singer Harry Styles...

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...as well as singer Pharrell Williams.

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Her designs also featured in the film version of US series Sex And The City.

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She didn't lose her unorthodox streak when she moved into the world of catwalk shows and ready-to-wear collections, and it made her one of the most distinctive and original designers in the fashion world...

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...sometimes putting her own models in peril - in one show, supermodel Naomi Campbell famously fell over in towering platform shoes.

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She built a mini empire, opening her own boutiques as well as producing bridal clothes, shoes, hosiery, ties, knitwear, cosmetics and perfumes.

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From wearing the Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen T-shirts in her younger days, she met the Queen and was honoured with an OBE in 1992 and a damehood in 2006.

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Westwood became seen as a legendary figure in the industry. She is pictured here with models Kate Moss and Alice Dellal in 2015.

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Westwood also became vocal on a number of social and political causes, including campaigning for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

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In 2020, she staged another protest in his support inside a giant bird cage.

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The environment was another of her passionate causes, and she is seen here protesting against fracking in 2015 when she drove a tank to then Prime Minister David Cameron's house...

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...and here in 2018.

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