Vivienne Westwood

I’m currently working on a portrait of Vivienne Westwood. She only came onto my radar as a designer a few years ago, but once I started learning about her, so much clicked into place.

Back in my twenties, I wore torn t-shirts, safety pins and a ton of black — all the hallmarks of punk — without even knowing she was the one who had sparked that movement. I was never really punk myself, but I loved the idea of fashion breaking the rules. That rebellious aesthetic shaped me before I even knew her name.

Now, years later, I’m stitching the portrait of a woman who spent her entire life standing for something. Her motto was “Buy less, choose well, make it last.” She fought for her beliefs, and she never stopped creating. Even at the end of her life, she was still designing, protesting and making her voice heard.

What inspires me most is her persistence — the way she lived and worked with conviction until her very last day. As I work on this portrait, I can only hope that my own life and art might carry even a fraction of that impact.