Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has died at the age of 81.

British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood died Thursday at the age of 81, fashion house Vivienne Westwood said in a statement.

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“Vivienne Westwood passed away peacefully today (December 29) surrounded by her family in Clapham, South London,” the company said in a Twitter statement.

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“The world needs people like Vivien to change for the better,” the statement said.

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Westwood, who was born in England on April 8, 1941 and rose to prominence in the 1970s, has been called the founder of high fashion punk. In 1992, she became a Dame Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and in 2006, a Dame Commander. As one of the world’s most famous fashion designers, Westwood has also been known as an activist – in particular, she spoke out in defense of the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and in 2014 expressed support for the idea of ​​​​Scottish independence.