White as china, very thin and yet so strong and determined, Vivienne Westwood just irritates talking about fashion. It seems unbelievable but that’s how it is, she’s a cult stylist who revolutionized the concept of fashion, today she feels over it, almost misleading. Other urgent needs have arisen in his life that need to be discussed. For this reason, she accepted the invitation to the Ischia Global Fest, an opportunity to speak about climate change in which she has become an expert.
Vivienne Westwood, the queen of British fashion, has died
December 29, 2022
Ms. Westwood, what is it that worries you so much?
“It shouldn’t just upset me, but all politicians who turn their heads the other way. We are approaching the point of no return, the geothermal map tells us that if we don’t take immediate action, a very strong avalanche effect will occur and part of the earth will no longer be habitable. In a generation, only a billion people have a chance to live. But this is only talked about in scientific circles. The financial system is ailing, 1% of the population owns the assets and the poor are getting poorer. The system should be reversed. Right away”.
Where to start
“A project to save the rainforest is being explored to help Aboriginal people acquire and properly manage property rights, thereby helping to save the forest. Queen Elizabeth also sent her contribution to the campaign: “Every pound saves a tree and thus saves the world”. And then you distribute the water, the resources; what nature gives us should not be the property of a few.” When did you realize that this topic is important to you? “I’ve always been concerned with human rights, seven years ago I read an interview in the Guardian with James Lovelock, a British chemist, scientist and independent conservationist. He is the father of the Gaia theory, which concerns the balance of the biosphere. I was struck by her work, by the end of this century – she wrote – there will be droughts, famines, terrible wars of survival, the world will be an uninhabitable place. I have created a website that has become an NGO that stimulates outreach, I have a charity, Coolers, that works with large organizations to generate interest in the topic of stimulating governments from bankruptcy. There is no more time for studies, we must act».
Vivienne Westwood’s ‘Letter to Earth’ for COP26 a year ago
And Trump in all this?
“Trump represents America, which is opposed to the strategy of change. I’m organizing an art exhibition that will cost a hundred million pounds with installations explaining the situation.” Fashion, excuse the mention, is an excellent medium for conveying messages. Or has he fulfilled his task?” “I don’t follow what other people do. Now I’m trying to save my company by bringing it back to a sustainability idea. Whoever ran it before followed rules I detest. Five years ago I took control by reducing waste, producing quality and less quantity, affordable and sustainable clothing for young people. I have decided with my husband Andreas Kronthaler to reduce the offers. I said to myself before you die, change everything and make it one of your fights. Make it a nonprofit.”
Its philosophy is to reduce waste in a reality dependent on consumption.
«The motto is: more quality, less quantity. Too much stuff is produced in the western world, we buy a lot of useless garbage that kills us and is of no use to us. What’s good today, if it’s of good quality, will be good for ten years.” He should talk to his colleagues about it… “I don’t follow the other stylists, but I look around and I see people who dress very badly. There is no care in choosing clothes, they don’t know how to make them last. Today I have a collaboration with Burberry and the profits from the sales go to my charity. I met Riccardo Tisci and we are on the same wavelength.”
Any advice for customers?
«Make the best of what you buy, develop your own style, don’t accumulate useless clothes. A shirt and a skirt, what’s sexier and prettier? Create your own style, customize it, be your own stylist. Play with clothes by mixing and matching them to show who you really are. Instead, I tell the fashion designers that they should work better and only offer quality. Mass production killed beauty. By buying less, even the creatives are encouraged to do better.”
Was it different?
«The fashion of the past was friendlier to people. It was designed for normal bodies, for human proportions. Today there are people who buy clothes that don’t fit their bodies. It’s awful.” Carrie Bradshaw’s wedding dress in Sex & The City was a dream. “Yes, the cloud dress made history. Sarah Jessica Parker is completely floored, I pad her breasts. In the end he was fine.” What advice do you have for young people? “Read. I started a children’s reading club. I recommend Young Holden by JD Salinger, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. The book makes you think, something always happens with the story and with you. In the cinema you see what others have decided, in the book you use your imagination.” She is the lady of the queen. What effect does that have on you: «I’m proud, but I don’t talk about it».