The Relationship Between Vivienne Westwood & Harajuku

The recent passing of London’s queen of fashion, the late Vivienne Westwood, has initiated retrospection throughout the fashion community on the plethora of outstanding things she contributed to the art in her time. From her role in lifting the punk aesthetic into the mainstream eye, to being appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire; she really did have a colourful and impactful existence. Her work transcended international borders and was universally praised. One of the places this was most evident, is Takeshita Dori.

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Takeshita Dori in Harajuku via Condé Nast Traveler

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Takeshita Dori is a street in the centre of Harajuku and is known for being the birthplace of the Harajuku style. This street and its surrounds are where Shoichi Aoki would do much of his work. Aoki, the brains behind FRUiTS magazine, created a database of the local Harajuku fashion trends throughout the 90s and early 00s with his magazine. When browsing its many issues, Vivienne Westwood pieces were littered throughout, with almost every still having at least one nod to one of London’s best. Although not immediately apparent, the reason for these surprising but welcome appearances was founded in music.

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Portrait Shots Styling Vivienne Westwood via FRUiTS Magazine

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The punk-rock scene in Japan essentially began in the late 70s, as the British/American punk bands rose to prominence in their respective countries. While it was limited to a niche group of people, they took hold of the style and produced new groups inspired by the genre, while also individualising it. Moving through the 80s, it rose in popularity in general, and into the 90s/00s it was as popular as it ever was. This is important to consider, as the impact of art often transcends its original medium, and this is evident when music influences fashion. Knowing Vivienne’s closeness to the punk scene in London, the pieces start to align themselves.

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Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren (The Sex Pistols' Manager) via British Vogue

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Associated with many well-known British punk bands, including the Sex Pistols, due to her design aesthetic; her look and brand became synonymous with the genre in the 80s. As interest in punk rose in Japan at the time, so did the aesthetic, and as a result the label began its gradual introduction into the Japanese market. Although, as punk wasn’t mainstream in Japan at the time, the aesthetic was again limited to a niche group. But, as the interest grew in the music, so did interest in the style. Jumping back to the late 90s/early 00s where Aoki was doing his work, punk was much more popular, especially among the rebellious youth, who controlled the Harajuku style at that time. The result was lots of punk and British inspiration in their outfits.

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Looks from the Vivienne Westwood Fall 93' "Anglomania" Runway via Vogue

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When looking at the Harajuku style, there are many broad aesthetics including: goth, Victorian-era, schoolgirl, punk, and western popstar among others. Vivienne Westwood’s line had pieces which were suited to all aesthetics. From her early punk style, her to Victorian inspiration, and even clothes leaning into more upper class and preppy aesthetics. The orb was also a conjunction of Victorian and futuristic design, helping its case further. A combination of punk’s popularity, the labels broad history of aesthetics, and logo recognition resulted in a major portion of the Harajuku tastemakers leaning to her label for their wardrobe during this time.

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Gyaru (left) and Punk Lolita (Right) Harajuku Styles via Tokyo Fashion

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Jumping forward to the current day, the late Vivienne Westwood’s namesake label has seen quite the popular culture resurgence among tastemakers in today’s fashion sphere. While the brand has always been well-known and successful, a recent upturn in the popularity of the Y2K aesthetic has brought it into the social-media spotlight. Vintage labels like 20471120 and Walter van Bierendonck are gaining traction again, and brands like Heaven by Marc Jacobs are also heavily leaning into the aesthetic for inspiration, so it was only a matter of time until we started to see the orb all over the place.

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Harajuku Looks Styling Vivienne Westwood via Tokyo Fashion

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While it is a little disheartening to know that most people adopting this aesthetic may not know about Vivienne’s story, it is almost a timely occurrence to have her label be brought into the mainstream around her peaceful passing. This allowed for her impact to be put on full display and ensure her legacy is etched in one way or another in the minds of another generation. Hopefully it will inspire a few people to go digging and learn about some of the history of both Vivienne Westwood and Harajuku.