THE ORB

Taking tradition into the future, the orb is more than just a visual emblem of Vivienne Westwood – its message ties fundamentally with her ideology of design. It is more than a logo.

Invented in 1985 when Westwood first began to create under her own name, the orb was born from an interplay of futurism and historicism, tradition and innovation. Embracing history and high culture, the royal motif of the orb – redolent of authority and heritage, and inherently English – is contradicted by a Saturn ring, a universal symbol of forward-thinking and of exploration. It serves as the perfect summary of Westwood’s constant reinvention of history as something new.

The orb first featured as jewellery in Westwood’s Autumn/Winter 1987 collection, titled Harris Tweed, where the symbol appeared as pendant necklace, as well as featuring on the backdrop to her fashion show. The orb emblem is now central to the brand’s jewellery creations, originally drawn from the world of regalia and translated back. As a three-dimensional object, it is especially well-suited to jewellery – it has featured in a collaborative watch design (released in 1993), as well as both centrepiece and component to designs ever since.

Spanning four decades of design, here the orb motif is treated as a canvas for multiple different interpretations in various colours, materials and styles. Its key message – of cherishing the past while simultaneously pushing it into the future – remains intact throughout.