Behind the legendary punk image of the Sex Pistols was the design vision of Vivienne Westwood.

As mainstream <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/gucci-spring-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disco</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/priscilla-presley-young-elvis-wife" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rock and roll</a> music thrived in the 1970s, the underground subgenre of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/riot-grrrl-movement-history-punk-feminism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punk</a> was a burgeoning phenomenon. Youth counterculture throughout the United Kingdom wanted to disturb the peace of English society, doing so by performing loud music, sporting what was then considered shocking clothing and makeup, and expressing revolutionary sentimentalities through their selfhood wherever applicable. If '70s <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/patti-smith-concert-webster-hall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punk</a> was best represented by anyone, it was the English band the Sex Pistols; namely the frontmen Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/sid-vicious-the-sex-pistols-british-punk-music-icon-legacy-death" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sid Vicious</a> (John Simon Ritchie).

British designer <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/vivienne-westwood-interview-punk-fashion-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivienne Westwood&rsquo;</a>s store Sex&nbsp;(stylized as SEX) was the hub of punk fashion throughout the &lsquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/art/radical-design-interior-home-domestic-landscape" target="_blank" rel="noopener">70s</a>, supplying the tangible pieces to craft a look and the intangible element of shock and controversy that punks wished to emulate. Between the fetish wear and the vulgar name itself, the store stood out among the otherwise upstanding shops on the prestigious shopping destination of King&rsquo;s Road. As her former partner Malcolm McLaren co-founded the shop with her and managed the Sex Pistols, it only made sense that Westwood would become the band&rsquo;s outfitter.

Ragged tee shirts, bondage pants, graphics of the queen, and safety pin embellishments are few among many of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/vivienne-westwood-spring-summer-2022-lfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Westwood&rsquo;s</a> most notable motifs seen on the Sex Pistols and other artists alike. As her designs garnered increased visibility as seen on figures from the subcultural movements from punk to new wave, what we know now as punk fashion can largely be attributed to Westwood&rsquo;s work. A pioneer in bringing environmental and social activism to subversive clothing, Westwood&rsquo;s interpretation of the punk aesthetic has always been a visual expression of the heretic lifestyle and the rhetoric of insurgents.

<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/satisfy-running-joe-strummer-punk-collection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Punk</a> still remains a significant <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/punk-smokey-eye-fall-winter-2021-trend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fashion</a> and cultural collective into the 2020s; whether through a modern mode of expression or a nostalgic reflection. Hulu's 2022 drama series <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/everything-we-know-about-pistol-tv-show-sex-pistols-sid-vicious-hulu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pistol</a> recounts the days of the Sex Pistols, and if the stories of the bandmates themselves may be new to current audiences, the fashion is certainly familiar. Though current punks might cringe at punk's development of going from alternative to mainstream, Westwood's work in the scene is nonetheless viewed as historically significant, and its anti-establishment mindset is even more timely now than before.

Vivienne Westwood, Sex Pistols, and the Origins of Punk Fashion

L'OFFICIEL USA December 2024 - Julianne Moore Cover

L'OFFICIEL USA November 2024 - Salma Hayek Pinault Cover

Vivienne Westwood, Sex Pistols, and the Origins of Punk Fashion

Tags

Related Articles

Music

The Urban Legend of Sid Vicious

Film & TV

Everything We Know About the Sex Pistols Miniseries 'Pistol'

Fashion

Vivienne Westwood Is the Original Riot Grrrl

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

Chanel Brings a New Edge for Métiers d'Art 2024

Fashion

Chloë Sevigny Charms in Saint Laurent at The 2024 Gotham Awards

Fashion

The Best Dressed Celebrities at the 2024 British Fashion Awards

Music

Kendrick Lamar Is Officially Going on Tour in 2025

Shopping

22 Gifts Your Host Will Actually Appreciate

L'Officiel Art

Your Ultimate Guide to Art Basel Miami Beach 2024: Galleries, Exhibitions, and Events

Fashion

Julianne Moore's Best Red Carpet Looks, From the '90s to Now

Film & TV

The Everlasting Thrill Of Acting For Julianne Moore