Christie’s is honoured to have been entrusted with the sale of Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection, which will be offered across a live auction (Part I) on 25 June, with an online sale (Part II) running alongside from 14–28 June. The sale will raise funds for the causes Vivienne supported throughout her life, with proceeds going to support The Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières and Greenpeace.

Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection comprises the personal wardrobe of the late fashion designer and includes some of the most important iconic looks that she created and wore during the last four decades of her life. The wardrobe, which only contains garments, shoes and jewellery by Dame Vivienne Westwood’s eponymously named fashion house, is recognised as historically and culturally significant — the earliest piece coming from the Witches collection for autumn/winter 1983/84. The live auction (Part I) on 25 June will also include THE BIG PICTURE – Vivienne’s Playing Cards: Collect the cards. Connect the cards. In 2017, Dame Vivienne designed a pack of playing cards as ‘A Strategy 2 Save the World’ — a blueprint for the preservation of the planet, infused with her rallying cry, ‘Collect the cards. Connect the cards.’ The prints poignantly shed light on pressing issues facing humankind, such as climate change, social inequality and human rights — concerns that remained at the forefront of Dame Vivienne’s mind. Shortly before she died, she selected ten of her most powerful graphics to be enlarged and set about signing the precious large-scale ‘cards’ on which these designs would be printed posthumously. A project by The Vivienne Foundation, proceeds from the sale of the portfolio will benefit Greenpeace, according to her wishes.

Dame Vivienne Westwood is recognised as one of the most important British fashion designers of all time and, by many, as the most iconic fashion designer of the last quarter of the 20th century. Westwood used her influence to address some of the gravest issues facing humanity today. She established The Vivienne Foundation to partner with NGOs with similar aims: ‘to create a better society and halt climate change’.

Stay tuned as we unveil the contents of the live and online sales in a tribute to one of Britain’s most influential fashion designers and environmental campaigners.

    I want you to help me save the world, I can’t do it all on my own
    —Dame Vivienne Westwood