Vivienne Westwood's incredible life up North, the boy from Chadderton, and the Manchester gallery that 'changed her life forever'
Ten years ago I was sat blankly staring at a screen, agonizing over what I could write about for my dissertation. I knew I wanted to be a fashion journalist from the get-go, but for years, people had told me it was just a pipe dream. 'It's too competitive' they said. 'You won't be able to do that without speaking French.'
When the news of her death broke yesterday, I cried. As a journalist, you learn to become quite hard-nosed when it comes to death, but some of them shroud you in a sadness you just can't avoid. It's easy to read the inpours of tributes and forget the person behind them, but each and every message I've seen about Viv is true.
Vivienne Isabel Swire was born at the Partington Maternity Home in Glossop on April 8th 1941. Many people don't know this as she's famous for her work in London, but she was a true Derbyshire girl. In her memoir, Viv said: 'I've never lost my accent'. At 12, Vivienne enrolled in Glossop Grammar School. Despite her working class upbringing, Vivienne was able to get a scholarship at the school, which is where she said 'everything shifted' for her. In her memoir, the fashion designer recalled an encounter history teacher Mr Scott.
Vivienne went on to explain how there were little opportunities for women in education at the time. She said: "The advice about careers and prospects was of its time and place. Especially for us girls. [...] If I had stayed up North I would probably have gone on to sixth form because I loved school, absolutely loved it.
Vivienne says Mr Bell advised her to create a folder of her art work, and she did. He taught her 'not to be safe', and was the first person to note she had real skill when he spotted her doing a fashion sketch one day. Vivienne says Mr Bell was integral in giving her the courage to be the artist he knew she was.
Following the move, and in an attempt to move on from Manchester and Jimmy, Vivienne decided to take her flair for fashion and design up a notch by enrolling onto a jewellery and silversmith course at the University of Westminster - then known as Harrow Art School. However, Vivienne's time on the course was short-lived, and she quit after one term, stating: "I didn't know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make a living in the art world".
The pair had one child together, a son called Joseph Corre on November 30, 1967. Joe is a British businessman and activist, who is known for being the founder of Agent Provocateur.