Westwood's designs were independent and represented a statement of her own values. She collaborated on occasion with Gary Ness, who assisted Westwood with inspirations and titles for her collections.[32]
McLaren and Westwood's first fashion collection to be shown to the media and potential international buyers was Pirate, combining 18th and 19th century dress, British history and textiles with African prints.[33] This was the first time in which Westwood explored her inspiration of historic sources in current day couture, the Pirate runway had featured both rap and an array of ethnic music.[28] Subsequently, their partnership, which was underlined by the fact that both their names appeared on all labelling, produced collections in Paris and London with the thematic titles Savages (shown late 1981), Buffalo/Nostalgia Of Mud (shown spring 1982), Punkature (shown late 1982), Witches (shown early 1983) and Worlds End 1984 (later renamed Hypnos, shown late 1983).[34] After the partnership with McLaren was dissolved, Westwood showed one more collection under the Worlds End label: Clint Eastwood (late 1984–early 1985).[35]
The 'Mini-Crini,' 1985–87 She dubbed the period 1981–85 "New Romantic" (during which time she created the famous look of the band Adam and the Ants)[36] and 1988–91 as "The Pagan Years" during which "Vivienne's heroes changed from punks and ragamuffins to Tatler girls wearing clothes that parodied the upper class". From 1985 to 1987, Westwood took inspiration from the ballet Petrushka to design the mini-crini, an abbreviated version of the Victorian crinoline.[37] Its mini-length, bouffant silhouette inspired the puffball skirts widely presented by more established designers such as Christian Lacroix.[38] The mini-crini was described in 1989 as a combination of two conflicting ideals - the crinoline, representing a "mythology of restriction and encumbrance in woman's dress", and the miniskirt, representing an "equally dubious mythology of liberation".[39] Westwood continued her research in fashion history by studying garments found in museum collections, which are evident through her incorporations of neck ruffs, corsets, bustles, breeches, and paniers in her various collections.[28] Works from the artists Jean-Antione Watteau, Anthony van Dyck, and François Boucher have been used as inspiration for several pieces of Westwood's garments including scarves, corsets, and leggings.
For Autumn-Winter 1987/88, Westwood presented the 'Harris Tweed' collection which launched her long-standing relationship with the Scottish cloth, Harris tweed, and the Harris Tweed Authority. The collection is often credited as being instrumental in reviving its use as a fashion fabric, thereby boosting the local industry. In the collection, she had also adopted the use of the Orb logo, an orb resembling the Sovereign's Orb with a satellite ring around it like the one around Saturn. This sparked heavy controversy as it was very similar to Orb Mark of the Harris Tweed Authority (at the time named The Harris Tweed Association).
Following her death, The Harris Tweed Authority released the following statement: [40]
In the late 1980’s Vivienne Westwood commenced use of a logo which, we consider, acknowledged her connections with and affection for our cherished cloth. Whilst that may not have been well received by everyone in the Harris Tweed® industry, subsequently both brands have very successfully collaborated to their mutual benefit. We hope and expect that collaboration will continue for many years to come.
In 2007, Westwood was approached by the Chair of King's College London, Patricia Rawlings, to design an academic gown for the college after it had successfully petitioned the Privy Council for the right to award degrees.[41] In 2008, the Westwood-designed academic dresses for King's College were unveiled. On the gowns, Westwood commented: "Through my reworking of the traditional robe I tried to link the past, the present and the future. We are what we know."[41]
Academic dress of King's College London in different colours, designed and presented by Westwood in 2008 In July 2011, Westwood's collections were presented at The Brandery fashion show in Barcelona.[42]
Westwood worked closely with Richard Branson to design uniforms for the Virgin Atlantic crew. The uniform for the female crew consisted of a red suit, which accentuated the women's curves and hips, and had strategically placed darts around the bust area. The men's uniform consisted of a grey and burgundy three-piece suit with details on the lapels and pockets. Westwood and Branson were both passionate about using sustainable materials throughout their designs to reduce the impact on the environment and so used recycled polyester.[43]