LONDON.- He locker room staff of the designer britnica Vivienne Westwood will be sold at auction, from today -June 14- until June 28, to benefit charities loved by the late Queen of Punk.
The auction will be held through Christie’s and includes more than 250 garments and accessories, most of which appeared on the catwalks before being worn by their designer.
The collection is made up of some of her most iconic pieces, including corsets, dresses, stiletto heels and political t-shirts.
In addition to the online auction, a sale will be held in a London hall on June 25.
Among the items to be auctioned are playing cards designed to draw attention to issues such as global warming, social inequality and human rights.
Foundation of Vivienne Westwood
10 of these cards were enlarged and signed by the designer, who died in 2022 at the age of 81, to raise funds for Greenpeace.
The proceeds from the sale will also go to associations such as Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders and the designer’s foundation, which works with NGOs to create a better society and stop climate change.
“Vivienne Westwood wanted her personal wardrobe to be auctioned to benefit organizations important to her,” the catalog and sale coordinator, Clementine Swallow, explained to AFP.
The designer’s widower, Andreas Kronthaler, 58, was very involved in the selection.
“These are the objects she had chosen, among the thousands of things she drew over 40 years. It’s the kind of thing she considered the quintessence of her creations,” Swallow noted.
Activism
A series of key pieces illustrating the cultural impact of Vivienne Westwood over the four decades of her career will also be auctioned.
The oldest is a skirt and jacket set from the collection End of the world, witchesfrom autumn-winter 1983, when Vivienne Westwood was still working with her first husband, Malcolm McLaren, manager of the British musical band Sex Pistols, precursor of the punk movement.
Many of the garments feature political motifs and slogans that reflect their concern for social justice.
Another piece chosen is a blue jacket similar to the one Naomi Campbell wore when she fell, wearing very high platform shoes, on a catwalk in 1993.
The most expensive piece is a hand-sewn dress with various beads, created with the help of artisans in Kenya.
All materials used in the items are recycled or recyclable.
Estimated prices for the items range from £200 to £7,000 ($255 to $8,950), but they are expected to sell for much more.
Museums and other institutions will submit bids, but Swallow said the designer would love the idea that her clothes could be worn by people.
FUENTE: AFP
