The fearless creativity of Vivienne Westwood is on full display at a major retrospective opening this week at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham. Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary celebrates the designer's revolutionary approach to fashion, showcasing over 40 ensembles drawn almost entirely from the private collection of Peter Smithson, a Lancashire schoolteacher and lifelong Westwood devotee.
Smithson, who has been collecting Westwood's work for more than 30 years, recalls the first time he encountered her designs on television as a 10-year-old. 'I couldn't understand why Sue Lawley and the audience were lampooning her', he said, referencing Westwood's interview on Wogan. 'I was looking at the models thinking they were just fantastic looks.'
That early admiration grew into a lifelong passion. Smithson remembers a teenage moment in Manchester that crystallised his devotion: a man emerged from a shop wearing a metropolitan tartan suit paired with tartan bondage trousers. 'It was the expression on his face, that joy, that confidence', Smithson recalled. 'I looked at the shop he'd come out of and saw the red canopy with yellow writing. You know, Vivienne Westwood. At that moment, I knew it was her—the one I'd been admiring all along.'
A Kaleidoscope of Colour, Texture and Rebellion
Walking through the Bowes Museum gallery, visitors are met with a whirlwind of Westwood's signature audacity. Tartan tweeds jostle alongside dazzling harlequin prints, faux-fur coats, oversized velvet crowns and mirrored fig-leaf tights. There are high-heeled, eight-eyed leather boots with red material uppers, buckles and laces, a pair of Seditionary boots on loan from Jill Bryant Smith, and a host of accessories, jewellery and ephemera.
'I imagine it's fairly limited who's going to buy and wear one', Smithson admitted of some of the more theatrical pieces. 'But it's about fun. She comes up with an idea, and it is about producing something that she enjoys.'
The exhibition not only draws from Smithson's vast collection but also incorporates loans from Manchester Art Gallery, the Fashion Museum Bath, and the Bowes' own holdings. Together, they illustrate Westwood's fearless experimentation with technique, proportion, and historical reference.
Breaking the Rules, Fearlessly
Rachel Whitworth, the museum's fashion and textiles curator, describes Westwood's approach as revolutionary. 'She broke the rules of design, experimenting fearlessly with technique, proportion and historical reference', Whitworth said. 'She drew from the past, created for the present, and remained sharply conscious of the future.'
Vicky Sturrs, director of programmes and collections at the Bowes Museum, highlighted Westwood's northern roots and enduring influence. 'She never lost her northern identity, and her fearless creativity still resonates powerfully with this region', she said.
Smithson met Westwood several times and remembers her as warm and approachable. 'She was very welcoming, very humble, completely down to earth', he said. 'I think she absolutely despised the global superstardom that surrounded her.'
A Personal Collection with a Life of Its Own
Smithson's fascination with Westwood has been a family affair. His wife, Belise, has long accepted that his acquisitions — whether a corset from Japan or a pair of fur-trimmed knickers — aren't meant for her. 'No, she's never seen it as strange', he said. 'She has never judged it. She gets it. She knows it is part and parcel of who I am.'
Even his young children may share his passion. 'My nine-year-old already has a very good eye for it', Smithson said, smiling. Collecting Westwood, he added, has given him a 'lifetime of pleasure', and seeing the garments displayed publicly offers him a new joy: watching others engage with the pieces he has treasured for decades.
Smithson himself occasionally wears his vintage Westwood pieces. At the exhibition preview, he sported a denim jacket from his Manchester days. 'I very rarely wear it these days', he admitted, 'but it reminds me of that excitement, that connection I felt with her and her clothes from a very early age.'
Visitors to the Bowes Museum will encounter ensembles that range from Harris tweed jackets and bloomer trousers trimmed with sheepskin to puffball dresses, mirrored tights, and crowns that would not look out of place on a stage. Each piece is displayed thoughtfully to tell a story, with enlarged 1980s fashion magazine spreads and other ephemera enriching the narrative.
The exhibition emphasises the joy, theatre, and sometimes audacity of Westwood's creations. Even the most outlandish outfits—red tartan bondage trousers or mirrored fig-leaf tights—carry a playful energy, a reminder that fashion can be as much about fun and self-expression as it is about style.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Beyond celebrating Westwood's work, the exhibition aims to inspire emerging designers and fashion enthusiasts. Smithson hopes visitors will leave with a sense of creativity and the courage to challenge convention. 'It's wonderful to see my objects being enjoyed by other people', he said.
For those who wish to experience Westwood's daring vision up close, Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary will be on display at the Bowes Museum from 28 March to 6 September.
Why Vivienne Westwood's Vision Still Matters Today
More than a retrospective, the exhibition feels like a timely reminder of how fashion can challenge norms and spark conversation. Westwood's designs — whether rooted in punk rebellion or historical reinterpretation — continue to influence a new generation of designers who are increasingly drawn to individuality over conformity.
At a moment when the industry is rethinking sustainability, identity and creative freedom, her work stands as proof that fashion can be both provocative and purposeful. For many visitors, the exhibition is not just a look back at an iconic career, but a call to think differently about what clothing can represent—and who it is ultimately for.
