One of the most renowned British fashion designers of all time Vivienne Westwood is due to give a talk at this year’s Latitude festival.
Vivienne Westwood was originally a Primary School Teacher before being drawn to fashion. Meeting Malcolm McLaren in the early 70s the pair set about crafting new styles heavily influenced by the Teddy Boy fashions of the mid 50s.
Opening a shop at 430 Kings Road, the boutique soon became a notorious London hang out attracting many of the future punk faces. Known as ‘Let It Rock’, and then later as simply ‘Sex’, the shop began to specialise in provocative t-shirts and bondage gear.
Crafting the template for the punk look, Westwood’s dressed The Sex Pistols and her immortality was assured. Yet after surviving a divorce from McLaren the designer would go on to repeat the trick as 430 Kings Road – now named World’s End – became the epicentre of the New Romantic scene.
Since then Vivienne Westwood has stuck to her own unique and vivid path. Respected by fashion figures for her sublime stitching work she has influenced everyone from Taboo icon Leigh Bowery to young British designers such as Stella McCartney.
Astonishingly, this one time bete noire of the establishment was made a Dame by the Prince Of Wales in 2006.
Dame Vivienne Westwood is the latest name to be added to Latitude. The designer will give a talk at the event’s Literary Arena and will appear alongside a wide variety of talents.
Pop Art hero Sir Peter Blake is also set to give a talk, no doubt recounting the tales behind perhaps his most famous work – the cover to The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
Other new additions are comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli and one time Arab Strap member Aidan Moffat. Morose Scot Moffat will make an appearance in the Poetry Arena, and it is not known if this will involve a musical performance.
Latitude takes place in Suffolk and has confirmed some top drawer names to headline this year’s event. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds will perform, shortly after their massive re-issue program begins.
Jason Pierce’s Spiritualized will also perform, and will be joined by the likes of White Lies, Doves and many more.
Latitude is due to take place between July 16th – 19th.
