Westwood family slams Riyadh Fashion Week role, McCartney also to show; Vivienne Foundation launches tees

Vivienne Westwood’s involvement with Riyadh Fashion Week has come under fire from the late designer’s family with her granddaughter criticising it and saying recent decisions by the brand, including its decision to show in Riyadh, “do not align with the values or wishes” of the late designer.

Cora Corré. has been critical of other aspects of the brand’s actions since the death of Westwood in late 2022.

But the Westwood company has defended its involvement saying its presence at the event is “a way to encourage dialogue” and “build understanding”.

It’s not the only Western brand showing there in the first season that the fashion week has been opened up to international labels.

Sustainability and anti-animal-cruelty pioneer Stella McCartney will close Riyadh Fashion Week with her first-ever show in the Middle East, on October 21. 

The show will feature a special edit of recent collections alongside a selection of “archival looks that reflect the house’s enduring design codes and commitment to innovation”.

The company said the “95% conscious, 100% cruelty-free collection will be presented to a new regional audience, spotlighting the brand’s pioneering approach to sustainable fashion”.

The collection will showcase vegan alternatives to ostrich leather in YATAY M (formulated using fungi mycelium and recycled materials), forest-friendly viscose, deadstock fabrics, recycled mesh designed to safely break down at the end of its life, GOTS-certified organic cotton and silk, and recycled nylon, polyester, and cotton.

Embroidery includes lead-free crystals, faceted beaded chains, and resin-based vegan pearls.

Meanwhile, news of Vivienne Westwood’s appearance on the Riyadh runway (which includes the creation of exclusive pieces for the event) came shortly before the Vivienne Foundation — which is unconnected to the company — unveiled a new special-edition collection of T-shirts, featuring four “iconic” prints and retailing at £150 each.

Kate Moss, Fontaines DC, and Cora Corré all star in the  supporting campaign shot remotely by Nick Knight SHOWstudio.

The T-shirts are the first official project from The Vivienne Foundation since Westwood’s death with the foundation saying there will be a “special run of 500 luxury T-shirts designed by Vivienne herself” with all profits donated to “four grassroots organisations aligned with the Foundation’s pillars of activism”.