Squiggle Room

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This month marks not only Vivienne Westwood's 70th birthday but also the 30th anniversary of her famous first collection, Pirates, which included the iconic squiggle print. Below is from The Financial Times
The longevity of the Squiggle, and its ongoing journey from subversive, counter-culture beginnings to the upper echelons of luxurious interiors is nothing short of astounding, mirroring the ascendancy of Westwood (who turns 70 on 8th April) from Chelsea anarchist to British national treasure. Similarly, there are few – if any – prints in fashion that are so inextricably linked to one single fashion label.
While Murray Blewett of the Westwood design studio points out that the print ‘developed from trying to symbolize rope’ (which it obviously does), its journey to World’s End started in Paris in the hands of another designer. Paul Gorman, author of the rock and pop fashion book and blog The Look, interviewed Malcolm McLaren many times between the mid-1970s and his death last year, and recalls that Squiggle began life ‘as an African print on a scarf given to him [McLaren] by Jean Charles de Castelbajac while they were living together in the French capital.’











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