Models, Artists & Activists Unite For Vivienne Westwood’s Punk-Infused SS´21 Film

If anything has galvanised people this year, it’s the new generation of activists that has vocally protested everything from racism to climate change; the government’s mishandling of Covid to social injustice. Their determined spirit comes under the spotlight in Dame Vivienne Westwood’s punk-infused new film, which was captured by Louis Simonon (the son of the Clash bassist Paul Simonon, and thus a direct descendant of the original punk movement), narrated by Brian Nasty, and which simultaneously showcases the designer’s spring/summer 2021 collection. 

Starring a cast of models, artists and activists – among them poet and campaigner Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Skinny Girl Diet musicians Delilah and Ursula Holliday, and make-up maestro Isamaya Ffrench – the video is a distillation of Westwood’s core values, made ever more relevant by the current global climate (even their face masks read “TRUE PUNK”).

The collection features prints designed by Pretenders front-woman Chrissie Hynde, a long-standing friend of Vivienne (“great voice, great guitar, punks together,” she says), who, in lieu of a fee for her contribution, accepted a donation to her non-profit Ahimsa Milk, an ethical and sustainable dairy farm that doesn’t kill its cows (“The little dears have a wonderful life of leisure, not much work for them but they love it,” says Westwood). 

Crafted from a wealth of eco-friendly fabrics – organic silks, cottons and linens; forest-positive viscose and acetate; recycled polyester; mulesing-free wool – the collection has been made in accordance with the principles Westwood has been advocating for decades. Principles the rest of the world is now catching up to. 

Her equally long-standing aesthetic codes are also very much in evidence. There is plenty of the corsetry she executes better than anyone else, visible in gorgeous dresses, or stuffed into cleverly-cut trousers with ribcage-level waistbands. A plaid suit paired with towering, blood-red platforms is Westwood’s original style at its best, likewise a studded harness strapped over slouchy tailoring.

All of the designs are unisex. As Westwood puts it: “Fine-knit twinset and pearls for men… or better still just the button-up cardigan – bare chest.” That the pieces are made to be shared is a reflection of her “buy less, choose well, make it last” ethos. To that end, “Our aim is to show only one collection a year,” she says. It’s a suitably anti-establishment goal for the reigning queen of punk.