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218<br />
the big clash<br />
Vivienne westwood<br />
and Malcom Mclaren<br />
By luca crescenzi<br />
it is well known that there have been moments in<br />
cultural history and the history of fashion in which,<br />
for reasons that we might call synchronicity, luck or<br />
simply destiny, great artists, avant-garde ingenuity<br />
and enlightened thinkers have crossed paths in a<br />
specific, well-defined space. think of Florence in the<br />
second half of the fifteenth century or paris in the<br />
twenties or capital cities like new york and london<br />
in the last few decades of the twentieth century.<br />
and, focusing on the english capital which has long<br />
occupied centre stage in our popular culture from<br />
1960s swinging london to the punk of the decade<br />
that followed right up to the thatcher period with<br />
the british music invasion which has conquered<br />
the world. a multitude of fashions have come from<br />
across the Channel beginning with Mary Quant and<br />
biba via bodymap, pam hog and stephen jones in<br />
the 1980s without missing out Vivienne westwood<br />
obviously who was the forerunner for later generations<br />
of talented english designers including john<br />
galliano, antonio berardi and alexander McQueen.<br />
and it is precisely on Vivienne and her legendary<br />
partnership with Malcolm Mclaren that i want to<br />
focus here. theirs was a totally creative collision<br />
which was, in some ways, devastating. when they<br />
met he had already dipped into and out of a number<br />
of artistic schools and was attracted by situationism<br />
(which promoted provocative action as<br />
Upper leFt:<br />
vivienne WestWooD,<br />
red label.<br />
Upper right:<br />
vivienne WestWooD<br />
portrait, both iMages<br />
CoUrtesy oF Marta<br />
laMovseK.<br />
219