‘Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery’, is coming to Aotearoa New Zealand’s national museum in Wellington this summer, seeks to acknowledge the role accessories played in the fashion designer’s prolific career.
Known for her revolutionary contributions to fashion and in particular, punk culture, Westwood died aged 81, in December 2022.
She first emerged as a prominent figure in the London scene in the 1970s, alongside Malcolm McLaren, co-creating the punk movement through their boutique, “SEX,” in London. She went on to create designs for her fashion label, regularly showing at Paris Fashion Week, until her death.
The exhibition will feature over 550 pieces of jewellery, and fashion fans will find plenty more to enjoy besides, with over 15 complete ensembles and garments also a part of the show. The items span four decades of Westwood’s history as a designer and the establishment and success of her fashion and accessories label. The exhibition has been curated by the house of Vivienne Westwood, as her label continues on today.
Kiwis will be the first to experience the show, before it tours across Asia, Europe and the USA from Spring 2025.
Runway and archive jewellery and fashion on show
“Vivienne Westwood was a disruptor, an activist, and one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th and 21st Century,” says Courtney Johnston, Te Papa’s Tumu Whakarae | Chief Executive.
“She brought punk into mainstream fashion and jewellery and is acknowledged worldwide as a true icon of contemporary design.
“This is the first time these special archive and runway pieces have been curated and displayed as a collection, and it’s an absolute honour for Te Papa to premiere this world class exhibition.
“It’s especially exciting that New Zealanders will be the first in the world to see this unique experience.”
During her career, Westwood created bold and rebellious designs characterised by historical references, subversive styles, and socio-political themes – all expected to be evident in the exhibition.
The story is told through a series of rooms, each curated with distinct decades of design, from punk Origins to fantasies of Wonderland, the ecological philosophy of Do It Yourself, and an Exploration of cultures, and Parure. Visitors will journey through time from the 1980s to the present day.
Westwood’s history is said to have been intertwined with links to the craft, having sold jewellery from a stall in Portobello Road market, London, in the 1970s and later incorporating costume jewellery as statement pieces within catwalk collections.
“Jewellery plays an essential role in defining that iconic ‘Vivienne Westwood look’ and this new exhibition explores the design codes and subversive spirit of the British design house through this prism,” says the Vivienne Westwood design team.
Visitors can expect eclectic pairings of jewellery and garments – each creation presented as an objets d’art, surrounded by a ‘chaos’ of wall prints and sounds, catwalk looks, imagery, and video, recalling iconic past collections and runway shows, evoking the fashion house’s iconic style.
‘Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery’
14 December 2024 to 27 April 2025
Te Papa
Wellington
