british designer be@rbrick

"F___ everybody except us," says the t-shirt on the Be@rbrick you see above.

Such audacity and irreverence can only come from British designer Vivienne Westwood (left), the fashion iconoclast responsible for bringing punk style (bondage gear, razor blades, safety pins, bicycle/lavatory chains, spiked dog collars, wild hair and make-up) into the mainstream. She started to gain fame when the punk band, The Sex Pistols, began to wear her outrageous fashion.

In September 2006, in collaboration with the British civil rights group called "Liberty", she created 'I am not a terrorist, please don't arrest me' t-shirts in support of the writ of habeas corpus.

Notorious for going knickerless, she twirled around to reveal her derriere (and more!) when she collected her OBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1992. In 2006, she was made a dame by the Prince of Wales.

A three-time awardee for British Designer of the Year, Westwood has been influential in launching the careers of other British designers like Patrick Cox. Remember when supermodel Naomi Campbell fell on the runway in 1994? She was wearing Patrick Cox's 9-inch heels for Westwood's 'Clint Eastwood' collection.

Westwood's reputation and successful career in fashion was a result of an unabashed and undying self expression. Clearly, it wasn't about making fashion statements, but rather, about her own life statement coming into fashion.

(Top) This Westwood Be@rbrick is one of a set of three.

Pic of Westwood's London shop on Conduit Street by me / Pics of her 2008 spring-summer men's collection are from the catalogue which I got from her shop / Info from Wikipedia