Vivienne Westwood

Kraken Opus together with Vivienne Westwood Ltd are delighted to announce the Vivienne Westwood Opus – an epic publication celebrating the greatest British fashion icon, Vivienne Westwood.  Launching in February 2008 during London Fashion Week, the Vivienne Westwood Opus will become not only a part of fashion history but a piece of art and a true collectors’ item.

The Vivienne Westwood Opus is set to break records as one of the largest fashion books ever to be published and will surely be one of the literary highlights of 2008. The sheer size and stature of the Opus will give the reader an exclusive insight into Vivienne Westwood and her unique Manifesto and introduce stunning imagery which captures the passion of her collections, which is reflected in the 9 different cover designs available.


The Vivienne Westwood Opus will showcase a selection of 97 never-seen-before photographs, taken by the world’s largest Polaroid camera, each measuring 50cm x 60cm. The unique Polaroids are of fashion royalty, Vivienne Westwood’s closest family and friends such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Sir Bob Geldoff, Jerry Hall and Helena Bonham Carter.

Vivienne Westwood has provided her own words for the Vivienne Westwood Opus in the form of her recent cultural manifesto, entitled ‘Active Resistance to Propaganda’, arguably the most important piece of literature the iconic designer has ever written.

 
Vivienne Westwood said:

“One of the great things about doing fashion and having the credibility of my track record as an avant-garde designer of clothes is that somehow it has helped to give me a voice which I try to use and I’m really grateful for having this opportunity”

The Vivienne Westwood Opus is epic in both quality and proportions:

 

·               90 cm high x 66 cm wide

·               20 kg in weight

·               198 pages introducing 97 Polaroids

·               Price £1,400

·               All copies will be personally signed by Vivienne Westwood

·               One-off print run of 900 copies available in 9 different designs

 

The limited edition Polaroids will be on show at Scream Gallery during London Fashion Week, 9th – 16th February. A renowned art gallery which is closely associated with fashion, Scream is the perfect place to host such a unique exhibition.

 

The first copy of the Vivienne Westwood Opus will be auctioned, with all proceeds going to Liberty – an international charity headed by Shami Chakrabarti CBE which is dedicated to improving and protecting civil liberties and promoting human rights.

 

“For me and everyone at Kraken Opus it had been an honour and a privilege to be given the opportunity to create an Opus dedicated to someone as special as Vivienne. Her status as the greatest of all iconic British fashion designers presented the team with a unique challenge of creating a tome that could do justice to the creativity and intelligence of her work. The stunning giant Polaroid photographs taken over the past two years, together with Vivienne’s very personal journey told throughout her cultural ‘manifesto’ allowed us to immortalise the spirit, emotion and ultimately the genius that is Vivienne Westwood”