Who are Vivienne Westwood’s children Ben and Joseph?
ICONIC fashion designer Vivienne Westwood passed away peacefully aged 81 in December 2022.
Known as the "Godmother of Punk", Westwood leaves behind two children - here's everything to know about them.
Who is Ben Westwood?
Benjamin Westwood was born 1963 as the son of legendary fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and her first husband Derek Westwood.
Vivienne and Derek split when Ben was just three years old.
He grew up in Clapham, London, with his half-brother Joe Corre, from his mother's relationship with Malcolm McLaren.
Ben started working as a photographer of erotica at 28, before following in his mother's footsteps and forging a career in fashion.
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He described his first collection as "outdoor woodsman, Red Indian, cowboy".
In an interview with the , he said: "My inspiration is tribal culture, Red Indians and pirates.
"We had a lot of that in our childhood. My mother always liked films about Red Indians."
Who is Joseph Corré?
Joseph Corre, born on November 30, 1967, in Clapham, South London, is the second son of Vivienne Westwood.
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She had him aged 26, when she was in a relationship with Sex Pistol's former manager Malcolm McLaren.
Corré's surname was given at birth, deriving from his father's maternal grandmother, a Sephardic Jew from Portugal.
As a child, he wore his mother's designs and regards the Sex Pistols as his favourite band, despite having a poor relationship with frontman John Lydon.
He founded the successful lingerie company Agent Provocateur in 1994, after his wife Serena Rees grew tired of seeing drab undergarments.
The couple opened a shop together where they originally sold other designers' pieces, but eventually started creating their own designs.
Since then, the company has expanded to 30 shops in 14 countries.
In June 2007, Corré was awarded an MBE for his services to the fashion industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
He rejected the award in protest at Prime Minister Tony Blair's actions in Iraq and Afghanistan which he said had caused suffering and erosion in civil rights in the UK.
In 2010, Corré was recruited by British cosmetics company Illamasqua as brand director by founder Julian Kynaston.
Corre's relationship with his father was turbulent, and the pair had never grown close.
After McLaren's death in April 2010, Corré said: "It was hard for me because he never wanted to do the emotional stuff that comes with being a parent.
"He ran away from it and I found that hard to take. We had a difficult relationship, but it was all right in the end.
"I went to Switzerland and we said what we had to say and we made our peace. I'm really glad I did that. It was such a release for both of us".
Was Vivienne Westwood married?
Vivienne was married twice.
She married her first husband Derek Westwood, a Hoover factory apprentice, in 1962, after meeting him in Harrow the same year.
Westwood designed her own wedding dress for the ceremony.
She gave birth to Benjamin the following year.
Westwood's marriage to Derek ended after she met Malcolm McLaren, with whom she had her second son Joseph.
The fashion designer remarried in 1992, after meeting Andreas Kronthaler while teaching at the Vienna School of Applied Art in 1988.
Like Westwood, Kronthaler is also a designer who hails from Tyrol, Austria.
Five years after their first meeting, the pair tied the knot, despite a 25-year age gap.
Over the years, Kronthaler has spoken highly of his late wife and even revealed in 2019 what kept their marriage strong.
He explained during an interview with the : "Don't expect anything from your other side, from your partner, your wife or husband. Because then you're both free to be.
"...She never cared if I got pissed or went out. She wouldn't even ask; she was never interested in these things, control. It was total freedom.
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"Maybe it was because she knew that I would come home and end up beside her.
"Perhaps I always just gave her this security, as well. You know, it's always a giving and taking, taking and giving."