She was known as the godmother of punk that forever changed the world of fashion, but Dame Vivienne Westwood’s personal life was just as colorful.
The designer, who died in south London at the age of 81, is survived by her third husband and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler, 56, after more than 30 years of an unconventional relationship.
Her third husband, 25 years her junior, met in 1988 at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, where she was a 47-year-old professor and he was a 23-year-old student.
Dame Vivienne has spoken in the past about how their professional partnership worked because their calmness made up for his “hysteria” while she was delighted that the bisexual Kronthaler had “total freedom” in their marriage.
Andreas Kronthaler and Dame Vivienne Westwood at Royal Ascot in 1995. The couple were husband and wife and collaborators
Last night – following the news of her death – he wrote: “I will carry on with Vivienne in my heart.
“We worked to the end and she gave me a lot of things to go on with. Thank you darling.’
Andreas himself is Austrian – born in Tyrol in 1966 and son of a blacksmith.
In 1980 he attended the Kunstgewerbeschule in Graz, Austria, where he completed a five-year apprenticeship as a jeweler.
But during this time he also began experimenting with fashion, making clothes at home that he sold to friends and at local shops.
He studied industrial design at the Vienna School of Applied Arts and switched to fashion design, where he met Vivienne.
Andreas Kronthaler and Dame Vivienne Westwood attend the Vivienne Westwood after party during Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring Summer 2022
Vivienne Westwood kisses her husband Andreas Kronthaler at their Fall/Winter 2015/2016 ready-to-wear women’s collection during Paris Fashion Week
At that time Andreas was just 23 years old and she was 47 years old and was teaching three days a week.
But there was definitely something that caught her attention.
Dame Vivienne later told the Guardian: “It’s very difficult to find a student who would give you 100 out of 100 – maybe it’s possible but I haven’t met him yet.
“But in the case of Andreas, he was completely wrong.”
Over the next year Andreas created a range of dresses inspired by the Renaissance. Round and extra long, they can be worn in a variety of ways by tying in a belt.
And visibly impressed, a year later Dame Vivienne invited him to London to work for her company.
Vivienne Westwood and husband Andreas Kronthaler were seen enjoying an alfresco meal at Mayfair’s Scotts restaurant in April 2021
The couple walked the runway hand in hand after presenting Vivienne Westwood’s Spring/Summer 2015 men’s collection at Milan Menswear Fashion Week
Their first collection together was the spring-summer 1991 collection called Cut and Slash.
In this collection, Andreas presented a Renaissance-inspired dress that became known as the Sun Wheel dress.
The pair became romantically intertwined and then married in 1993, a move that helped secure Andrea’s British visa.
In her domestic sphere, Dame Vivienne was apparently cooking, and Andreas told the Guardian she was a “lovely cook but so bossy”.
The first pair of fashion! The couple attended a Downing Street reception hosted by Tony Blair in 1997
He, on the other hand, did the housework to relax.
He added that she knew she loved him but didn’t need him since she was so independent.
He also told GQ how Vivienne looked after him whenever he was ever sick.
He said, “She used to say, ‘Go get that sherry from the garage.’
“So I would buy a bottle of sherry and some ham and some cheese and a loaf of hovis and make a whole mountain of toast.
Lady of Leisure: The designer’s living room is as eclectic as you might expect, from graphic rugs to Chinese porcelain. Dame Vivienne presents a crazy outfit to complete the photo
Check her out: Vivienne is wearing her ‘favorite suit’ in a photo taken in the entrance hall
“We went to the pub once a week. They loved her there. Really, they looked for her whenever she came in. And she taught me a lot.”
In 2019, Andreas – who is believed to be bisexual – also revealed what has made their marriage strong.
He told the Evening Standard that the secret of marriage was “not expecting anything” from your partner, and said of Dame Vivienne: “She never cared if I was mad or going out. She wouldn’t even ask; She’s never been interested in these things, control. It was total freedom.
“Maybe it was because she knew I would come home and end up next to her. Maybe I always gave her that security.”
And his wife wholeheartedly agreed, telling the Telegraph: “I’ve never cared – I’ve never worried – what he’s up to or anything. I let him go – not let him, I mean he goes – on holiday alone.’
In their creative lives, too, the couple has managed to make things work.
Personal oasis: Andreas shared several photos of the garden where they grow roses and jasmine, among other things. The overgrown plants give the illusion of a private jungle
Dame Vivienne Westwood urged fans to think twice before returning to work after lockdown restrictions were lifted. In the picture, Dame Vivienne films the speech
While Andreas was initially a silent design partner and creative director of her company, in 2016 Westwood recognized his involvement and influence on the Gold Label collection by renaming the Andreas Kronthaler line Vivienne Westwood.
After Brexit in 2020 he used his design skills to explore his position as a European living and working in the UK.
Nowadays he often posts about his work and life on Instagram for over 70,000 followers.
She died peacefully surrounded by her family in Clapham, south London, her fashion house announced yesterday.
In 2020, he shared photos of their south London home, worth around £40million, featuring a dated laundry room and overgrown garden.
The pair have also been spotted together frequently at fashion events and dates in London.
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