Vivienne Westwood's History Lesson

3 months ago 05th Aug 08:30

Dame Vivienne Westwood says new designers don't appreciate the history of fashion.

The iconic British designer believes the latest generation to enter the fashion world haven't taken the time to explore previous trends and trendsetters.

She explained: "To be a fashion designer you need luck, but you also need talent. You must cultivate your deep intellectual interest in other spheres.

"It is a sickness of the modern age that people want to create a collection without taking the time to master the discipline.

"A talented designer who has some sense of culture may discover original ideas, but you cannot create a collection unless you understand the history of garment techniques."

To be a fashion designer you need luck, but you also need talent

Vivienne, 68, admits she didn't have any "formal training", so resorted to an unusual technique to produce clothes when she opened her first shop in London.

She told Britain's Marie Claire magazine: "I didn't have any formal fashion training, but I always made my own clothes as a teenager, teaching myself from patterns. When I opened Let it Rock in 1970 I wanted to sell 1950-style garments. So we found old clothes in markets and took them apart to get the cut - not a very efficient way of making clothes, but it was a great way for me to build up my technique."