Vivienne Westwood and Leigh Bowery were two of 22 British fashion designers who customized denim jackets for Blitz magazine in 1986 to be auctioned for charity. Westwood drew inspiration from punk and military styles, covering her jacket with patches, wings, and tassels. Leigh Bowery heavily decorated his jacket with hundreds of hair pins layered like fringes, making it very heavy. The customized jackets were exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum and will be shown again as part of an upcoming exhibition.
2. • In 1986, Blitz magazine asked 22 British fashion designers to customise a
denim jacket each.
• These jackets were provided by Levi Strauss & Co.
• They were then exhibited in the V&A for auction in aid for the Prince’s
trust in July 1986.
• A selection of these customised jackets will be exhibited in the V&A as
part of the Club to Catwalk exhibition this year.
3. Vivienne Westwood
• 'I was proud of my jacket. I like to take traditional things and push them into the
future.' Vivienne Westwood
• Vivienne Westwood was part of the punk movement, so this may of
inspired her jacket.
Her jacket holds similarities to a fighters jacket –
someone who flies a war plane of some sort – and
also an old fashion war uniform
It has the two sets of wings on the chest
of the jacket like the pilot jacket and
tassels across the buttons like the 17th
century army uniform.
4. Leigh Bowery
• This jacket was decorated out of hundreds of
hair pins, so it is very heavy in weight.
This one reminds me of fringed jackets, as
the pins are loose and layered like these
jackets .