Home / Arts and Entertainment / Westwood vs. Kawakubo: Punk Icons Compared
Westwood vs. Kawakubo: Punk Icons Compared
13 Dec
Summary
- Exhibit compares Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo's punk fashion legacies.
- Designers challenged beauty, gender, and form through fashion innovation.
- NGV curator highlights their differing approaches to subversion and referencing.
The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne is hosting an exhibition that places fashion revolutionaries Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo in dialogue for the first time. This unique pairing allows for an exploration of their individual creative journeys and their shared impact on the fashion world.
The exhibition is structured around key themes such as "Punk and Provocation" and "The Body: Freedom and Restraint." It showcases defining collections from the 1970s to the present, including Westwood's Anglomania and Kawakubo's avant-garde designs. A notable feature is a rare collaboration between the two designers from 2002.
Curators highlight their distinct approaches to creativity. Westwood drew heavily on historical references, while Kawakubo emphasized starting anew, often creating terminology to describe her boundary-pushing designs. Despite their differences, both designers championed freedom, agency, and non-conformity, embodying a punk spirit throughout their careers.
