Dame Vivienne Westwood, the original punk fashion diva, is a branding genius. Her eponymous clothing line has been active for 50 years and never sold out, relying solely on Westwood's business savvy to keep the brand going.
She's done it all before. Back in the '90s, for instance, Westwood devised her own all-over Orb monogram, beating logomania to the punch by about two decades.
Westwood's Worlds End store at 430 Kings Road was the original indie boutique, offering bespoke DIY designs, one-offs, and instant access to her fashion line, eschewing frou-frou salons for direct relationships between designer and customer.
Throughout all that, Westwood has held steady to a few things, even while experimenting with nearly every available fashion medium and several that didn't exist until she devised them.
Westwood loves tartan plaid, for one, and wonky silhouettes (exaggerated torsos, dropped crotches). She still makes the Rocking Horse, too.
Above it all, though, there's the Vivienne Westwood Orb logo, a wordless representation of the entire Vivienne Westwood brand.
That orb has been reimagined as the aforementioned monogram, belt buckle, a perfume bottle, jewelry (including sought-after necklaces), and a graphic print for T-shirts, jeans, sandals, and sneakers, though it's never been at the center of a dedicated clothing line.
That changes, sort of, with the introduction of Westwood's new loungewear line, comprised of a biodegradable cotton and recycled polyester blend and available by end of month at the British designer's stores.
Note that this isn't a collection centered around the Vivienne Westwood Orb itself, as much as it's just a line of athleisure staples with the Orb front and center.
Future drops may move away from the Orb but, for now, it's Orb central.
You can get your hands on Orb T-shirts and sneakers all day, but this is the first dedicated line of Westwood goods, at least in recent memory, dedicated entirely to the Orb branding.
It's not so much a revelation as an acknowledgement of how important that image is to the Westwood brand, even though Westwood's legacy — punk pioneer, climate change activist, industry renegade — is so much more than a more logo.
Still, the Orb is pretty good logo.
