Politically charged for the fierce, strong minded woman. Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label show was a message to our generation.

Vote Green

“These are difficult days. We must save the world – now. The change from capitalism to a green economy is easy. We know what to do. What’s good for the planet is good for people. Vote green.” This was the manifesto on Vivienne Westwood’s AW15 show invitation. With ritualistic animal sounds, along with an eerie futuristic spoken-word voiceover permeating the show space upon entry, this was Westwood’s message for the future, her plea. The show was hosted in the Science Museum, after all.

Dissecting The Details 

From Bauhaus-hued art school corduroy co-ords complete with matching berets, tiger print outerwear, and printed crushed velvet, to classic Westwood tartan and military inspired suiting – it was the details in this collection that spoke volumes. Clutch bags worn like arm bands that read: “Get A Life”, a restrictive black leather neck cuff, from which there hung chains, that read: “Art Lovers United” and a glossy kitten pouch (just to add the fun factor) – Westwood was going in hard with her “Vote Green”, cultural change manifesto. A colour palette of neutrals and primary’s gave the collection a tribal feel, and an omnipresent ticking sound masked within the tiger snarls and lion roars, made it feel like we were in a race against time to save the world.

Red Label Lady

As ever, the red label woman was fierce. But with makeup by Val Garland, that saw thick black and red paint smudged and smeared across each face, there was a most sinister atmosphere. Whether it was the blood red teamed with tiger print, or the black that gave harshness to the models eyes – this was Westwood’s pressing message to our generation.

Words: Brooke McCord.