Fashion rebel Vivienne Westwood turns 80

The daughter of a shoemaker and a cotton spinner, she had a knack for fashion even as a child. Today Westwood is one of the most famous designers in the world. But she is more than just a fashion icon — she provokes with her appearances and is a committed campaigner for the climate and human rights.

The fashion world was tickled pink when the flashy woman from London presented her first catwalk show, the Pirate Collection, in 1981. With that legendary show, Vivienne Westwood said farewell to punk - and became a recognized fashion designer. From that day on, the redhead and her unconventional creations were part of all the major shows.

Together, Westwood and her friend Malcolm McLaren developed "punk fashion": spacy T-shirt and trouser creations dotted with safety pins, bicycle chains and even chicken bones. Many of her garments are exhibited in museums; like this skirt in the 2013 "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art.

The daughter of a weaver and a shoemaker, even as a young child she liked to sew. But she ended up enrolling at a teacher training school, where she met her first husband Derek, and their son Ben was born. Unhappy with family life, she eventually left her husband for Malcolm McLaren, an eccentric art student.

With her new partner, Vivienne Westwood managed the famous boutique on King's Road 430 — a shop with changing names and decor. The couple had a son, Joseph. By the early 1980s, although the punk movement was slowly fading, McLaren held on unconditionally to nonconformity. The couple separated in 1983.

After the separation, Vivienne Westwood went wild in the world of fashion, reinventing herself again and again, snapping up every style that piqued her interest. Her opulent Rococo designs are famous: short skirts with diminutive crinolines and exaggerated Rococo hairdos. She adored checkered patterns, and came up with her very own Mac Andreas tartan.

Carrie Bradshaw wears a Westwood dress in the movie "Sex and the City" (2008) for her wedding with her longtime lover Mr. Big, who gets cold feet and bails out at the last minute. The tremendous designer dress adds to the tragedy of Carrie's humiliation.

Another trademark: absurdly tall plateau shoes that Westwood actually managed to walk in. One of her models wasn't that lucky: In 1993, Naomi Campbell stumbled on the catwalk wearing the iconic platform-heeled Westwood shoes, surrounded by an audience. Chalk that up as embarassing for a super model.

For years, Vivienne Westwood has been an active participant in protests and marches: against the British government's anti-terror policies, against nuclear submarines and Guantanamo, against fracking and climate change. She sent models wearing the Scottish independence movement's "Yes" button on the runway and donated $1.5 million (1.3 million euros) to save the rainforest.

Vivienne Westwood still likes to provoke. In February 2016, she paid a visit to whistleblower Julian Assange, do the delight of the media. The founder of Wikileaks has been living in the Embassy of Ecuador in London for the last three-and-a-half years.

The third man to share her life, Austrian Andreas Kronthaler is 25 years her younger. He was one of Westwood's fashion design students in Vienna. They married in 1992.

Britain's royal family has also honored the extravagant fashion queen. Westwood was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1992, and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) 14 years later.