Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery – The Exhibition

Announcing Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery – A Celebratory Exhibition, Now Touring Worldwide.

From the beginning of her career, Vivienne incorporated jewellery as a powerful and integral part of her designs – to add meaning and give expression to the body. Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery explores the design language and subversive spirit of the British design house through the prism of jewellery. Curated by the Vivienne Westwood team, the exhibition presents four decades of special archive and runway jewellery displayed together as a collection for the first time.

Vivienne began designing in 1971 and by the late seventies was considered a symbol of the British avant-garde – having pioneered the punk look. 1989 was the year that Vivienne met Andreas Kronthaler, who would later become her husband and long-time design partner, as well as creative director of the house. Together they drew inspiration from historical dress, culture and fine art, shaping the brand’s distinct identity. Throughout her life Westwood captured the imagination and raised awareness of environmental and human rights issues. With a design record spanning over fifty years, Vivienne Westwood is now recognised as a global brand and Westwood herself is remembered as one of the most influential fashion designers, and activists, in the world.

Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery offers an immersive look at Vivienne Westwood’s extensive history of jewellery design – encompassing Westwood’s sensibilities for historical reference and culture, past and present. The exhibition is divided across eight rooms, each dedicated to distinct decades of design; from punk Origins to fantasies of Wonderland, the ecological philosophy of Do It Yourself, an exploration of cultures and 18th Century Parure, and an ode to the house emblem in the Orb room.

Recalling seminal past collections and runway shows, visitors can expect a curated dialogue between jewellery and garments, surrounded by sound, catwalk looks, graphic wall collages, imagery, and video, offering a unique perspective into the Vivienne Westwood world.