Documentary filmmaker Lorna Tucker’s new work Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist is a fascinating portrait of the acclaimed fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
Tucker spent several years following the punk icon. Filming her while designing, watching her rally for causes she’s passionate about, observing her dealing with her ever growing company and occasionally catching her reflecting on her long career and associations, but Tucker is no fashion darling, she picked Westwood as her subject because she found her intriguingly interesting for other reasons.
“Before I met her, I would never have thought Vivienne would be someone I’d want to make a film on. ‘Older woman who goes around preaching to people and has a fashion company’, but when I met her she destroyed all my preconceived expectation of what is to be a woman in business and how long it took for her to have success.
”I think her story has a lot of relevance for a younger generation, it’s an inspiring story about what it takes to get there, it shows that you will doubt yourself, you’ll be vulnerable and you’ll hate what you do at times.” Tucker said.
Westwood is not happy with the final film, and has publicly distanced herself from it, but the director tells us that while she’s sad to lose the designer’s friendship, she’s proud of the work she made. Tucker recounts that after screenings young artists share how it has inspired them with it’s tale of perseverance against all odds.
“I’ve never seen a fashion film that shows the reality of the fashion industry.” Tucker said. While the rigueur de jour is to feature an array of celebrity talking heads declaring someone’s genius, Tucker just shows the designer at work, often unsure of her next move, constantly complaining that her company has grown too big and she has no idea what the marketing department actually does.
Westwood has little interest in looking into the past, she forward focussed and onto the next thing. But for all her punk and anti-establishment ethos, she is also annoyed that it took so long for the fashion awards to acknowledge her, and she’s chuffed that the Queen has made her a dame.
“That’s what the whole film is about, there are all these contradictions about her.” Tucker said. “She says she’s not a feminist but she’s the most amazing and inspiring feminist I’ve ever met. I never wanted to make a film that says ‘Here’s a genius that lives in a gilded cage, she’s one in a million.’ I wanted to say ‘she is one in a million and she’s incredible, but she’s also incredibly flawed.”
“That’s what makes her human, and that’s what makes her inspiring, but it’s also what makes us giggle.” Tucker said of Westwood.
The director said there were mountains of time during the filming where she confronted with the conflicting juxtapositions of Westwood’s comments recalling that one day the designer would be talking about how plastic was destroying the planet, only to be complaining that she wasn’t make enough from the sales of plastic shoes 24-hours later.
“If I didn’t show that it would be another film, one which is just blowing smoke up someone’s arse. That’s not a film that would inspire me. Whatever subject matter I’m tacking on film there has to be an element of something that blew my mind, which I think will blow other people’s minds. Whether it’s something funny or giggling, or something that has a deeper meaning.” Tucker said.
“I’m not here to make advertising, I can’t sit there and tell a lie.” Tucker declared, saying she’s not worried if Westwood doesn’t like a film, she’s proud of the film she created.
Lorna Tucker’s brutally honest portrait Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist is now screening at Luna Leederville.
Graeme Watson
