Vivienne Westwood: the British punk label turned luxury house

Vivienne Westwood is the British fashion house founded in London in 1971 by the designer of the same name, and in fifty years it has become the bridge between punk counter-culture and contemporary luxury. At MTHOR, the Vivienne Westwood collection brings together the most sought-after pieces from the orb label: leather bags, leather goods and streetwear collaborations, selected one by one and then authenticated by our team of experts before shipping. Every reference is a model that is genuinely available, not a phantom pre-order: what you see is in stock, checked and ready to ship. That standard is what sets a Vivienne Westwood bag bought at MTHOR apart from a piece found on an unvetted marketplace.

The history of Vivienne Westwood, from King's Road to haute couture

Vivienne Westwood, born Vivienne Isabel Swire in 1941 in Tintwistle, Derbyshire, opened a boutique at 430 King's Road in London in 1971 with Malcolm McLaren. The address changed name five times in ten years — Let It Rock in 1971, SEX in 1974, Seditionaries in 1976, then Worlds End in 1980 — and each new sign came with an aesthetic shift. It was from this shop that Westwood dressed the Sex Pistols, managed by McLaren, and invented the London punk wardrobe: torn T-shirts, safety pins, bondage trousers, printed slogans.

The move from street clothing to fashion came in 1981 with the Pirate show, the designer's first runway collection, which traded head-on provocation for a historical reading of costume. The collections that followed established her vocabulary: corsets reinterpreted from eighteenth-century portraits, Scottish tartans, subverted English tailoring. Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1992 and made Dame Commander in 2006, Vivienne Westwood pursued an outspoken climate and political activism until her death on 29 December 2022. The house, now led by her husband and long-time collaborator Andreas Kronthaler, keeps that twin legacy alive — subversion and craftsmanship — which explains the lasting resale value of pieces from the Vivienne Westwood brand.

The Vivienne Westwood orb: what does the crowned globe logo mean?

The Vivienne Westwood orb is a globe topped with a cross and encircled by a Saturn-like ring, drawn in 1987 and since become the most instantly recognisable logo in British fashion. Its meaning is explicit: the orb is borrowed from the British royal regalia — the cross-bearing globe of the coronation, a symbol of tradition and authority — while the ring of Saturn around it projects that heritage into the future. The message fits into a single image: carrying the past towards tomorrow, exactly the designer's aesthetic programme.

In practice, the orb is the first authenticity marker on a piece. On leather goods it is engraved or embossed on the hardware (clasps, buckles, zip pulls) and stamped on the inner plate or label; on ready-to-wear it is embroidered or printed, alongside the composition label and the product code. The sharpness of the relief, the evenness of the ring and the depth of the engraving are three of the points our team checks as a matter of course: a counterfeit almost always gives itself away on the orb before anywhere else.

The signature pieces of the Vivienne Westwood house

The house's historic catalogue is built around a handful of icons recognisable at first glance. In jewellery, the Orb necklace — the orb pendant on a chain or on a pearl necklace — and the Armour Ring, an articulated ring inspired by an armour gauntlet, are the two most copied pieces of the brand. In leather goods, compact crossbody bags stamped with the orb form the core of the offer, with lines such as the New Heart, whose asymmetric heart silhouette has become a signature of the house.

In ready-to-wear, the Westwood corset, the tartans and the slogan T-shirts remain the house's markers, regularly brought back into circulation through streetwear collaborations. The tie-up with London label Palace is the most recent example: the Palace x Vivienne Westwood T-shirt, released on 6 September 2024 for the FW24 season, sets the Palace logo alongside the orb on a black crew-neck jersey, available from S to XL.

The MTHOR selection focuses on what the resale market genuinely makes available and verifiable: leather bags and streetwear pieces from collaborations. The Vivienne Westwood New Heart Crossbody in black leather, reference 58010001W-L001N N402, is offered at 790 €, and the Palace x Vivienne Westwood T-shirt from 150 € depending on size. To widen your search, our Bags and Streetwear collections gather every reference available in these two worlds.

Vivienne Westwood and NANA: the collaboration that marked a generation

Vivienne Westwood owes part of her fame with Japanese and European audiences to the manga NANA by Ai Yazawa, serialised from 2000, whose heroine Nana Osaki wears the brand like a second skin. The orb, the Armour Ring and the pearl necklace with its orb pendant are full narrative devices there: they signal the character's place in the Tokyo punk-rock scene and have become, by extension, objects of desire for a whole generation of readers.

That cultural link carried on through official editions and collaborations between the house and the NANA universe, which are now in sustained demand on the second-hand market. MTHOR does not list jewellery: our Vivienne Westwood selection covers leather goods and streetwear. If you are looking for a specific piece from that world, our customer service can tell you whether it is available before you buy.

Why buy your Vivienne Westwood at MTHOR

MTHOR Shop is a French boutique specialising in the sale of authenticated pieces. Every item in the Vivienne Westwood collection goes through a rigorous check carried out by our team of experts: we inspect the material and finish of the leather, the evenness of the stitching, the orb engraving on the hardware, as well as the consistency of the labels, the product code and the accessories supplied. For the most demanding checks we rely on specialist tools such as a UV lamp or a microscope. Every order ships with a security seal, tangible proof that quality control has been carried out and authenticity validated. Find out more about our authentication process.

We offer worldwide delivery in 2 to 8 days to your door against signature, with real-time tracking by email and WhatsApp, payment in 4 interest-free instalments via Klarna or Scalapay, and a France-based customer service team available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm. Customs fees are covered in full by MTHOR, whatever your destination. Should anything go wrong, our 14-day return policy protects you.

FAQ — Vivienne Westwood at MTHOR

How do you recognise a real Vivienne Westwood bag?

An authenticated Vivienne Westwood bag is checked first on the orb: the engraving of the globe and of the ring must be sharp, even and deep on the hardware, never blurred or superficial. The other checkpoints are the quality and smell of the leather, the evenness of the stitching, the weight and finish of the clasps, and the consistency between the inner label, the product code and the model advertised. At MTHOR this check is carried out as a matter of course by our team before shipping, UV lamp and microscope in hand, and every order leaves under seal. Discover our authentication process.

Which size should you choose for a Vivienne Westwood T-shirt?

Vivienne Westwood T-shirts and their collaborations, including the Palace x Vivienne Westwood model, follow a classic crew-neck cut that runs true to size: take your usual size for a fitted look, one size up for a more streetwear drape. The model is available from S to XL. For leather goods the question does not arise: the dimensions of each bag are given on its product page.

What is in the MTHOR Vivienne Westwood collection?

The MTHOR Vivienne Westwood collection brings together leather goods and streetwear pieces from collaborations — currently the New Heart Crossbody in black leather and the Palace x Vivienne Westwood T-shirt. We list neither jewellery, nor watches, nor dresses from the house. Stock changes as new arrivals come in: new pieces are added to this page as soon as they are authenticated.

Where can you buy authenticated Vivienne Westwood in France?

MTHOR Shop is a French boutique that delivers throughout France and worldwide, with no need to go through a physical Paris store. You order online on this page, the piece is authenticated by our team before shipping, then delivered to your door against signature in 2 to 8 days, with email and WhatsApp tracking. Our customer service is based in France and answers Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.

Which accessories come with my Vivienne Westwood piece?

The accessories supplied depend on the piece and on what the house provides as standard for that reference. Some Vivienne Westwood leather goods, including the New Heart Crossbody, do not come with a dust bag or a box: that is the brand's standard for this accessory, and not something missing. The exact detail is given on each product page, and every order leaves under MTHOR seal.

Will I have to pay customs fees?

No, no customs fees are payable by you. MTHOR covers all customs charges and duties in full, whatever your destination in the world. The price shown on the site is the final price you pay: no nasty surprises on delivery.

Can I return my piece if it does not suit me?

Yes. You have 14 days from receipt to return your piece to us, provided it is in its original condition (never worn, packaging intact, seal unbroken). The refund is processed within 24 hours of the return being received.

Going further

Discover our Bags, Palace and Streetwear collections too. To learn everything about the quality of our pieces, see our detailed authentication process.