A number of biographies documenting Vivienne Westwood's life have been released, but the designer
herself has, until now, never published an authorised one.
The 72-year-old is working with her friend Ian Kelly, award-winning biographer of Brummell and Giacomo Casanova, on a personal memoir which will be formed partly of her own voice and partly by contributions from her vast network of friends, family and associates.
"Vivienne is much more than what you first see," says Kelly. "She is passionately committed to human rights and to eco-politics, but as well as that I am keen to tell the truth about a huge-hearted, warm and witty individual, whose face and clothes are known the world over, but who is also recognisably the Derbyshire primary school teacher who met and fell in love with Malcolm McLaren and changed the world."
The publication will cover Westwood's life from before she was a well-known designer, to meeting McLaren, opening their infamous clothing emporium on the King's Road and kicking off the punk movement, to starting up her own label as a self-taught designer and meeting her current husband Andreas Kronthaler. Her extensive political activism and charitable work will also be covered.
The authorised life story will be published by Picador in October 2014.
