“THIS WOMAN WAS ONCE A PUNK”: The Evolution of Anti-Capitalist Protest Under the Capitalist Machine

Abstract

The late Dame Vivienne Westwood was a pioneer of the punk movement and she remains known for her commitment to various social justice causes—the most prominent being climate advocacy. However, throughout her career as a designer, Westwood’s work evolved from grass-roots punk designs to a commercialized brand shown on runways from London to Paris. Westwood’s life offers us a glimpse into how we can make decisions as workers, activists, and leaders. Are we able to change corrupt systems from the inside? Was Westwood able to subvert the capitalist machine as a revolutionary, or was punk cultural production eventually embedded into the very institution it was protesting?