Visitors have just a few weeks left to experience The Bowes Museum’s most ambitious
Vivienne Westwood exhibition to date before it closes on Sunday 6 September 2026.
Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary opened in March 2026 and has
welcomed fashion, art and design enthusiasts throughout the summer. The multi-gallery
exhibition honours one of fashion’s most provocative and imaginative British designers,
charting Westwood’s extraordinary journey from the rebellious energy of punk and her
early partnership with Malcolm McLaren (1946–2010), to her reinvention of historical dress
and couture in the 1980s and 1990s.
Highlights from the exhibition include calico toiles and garments digitally deconstructed
by the Fashion Department at Northumbria University, revealing Westwood’s construction
techniques, from bias cutting and pleating to screen printing and distressed fabrics.
This is also the last chance to enjoy Meg Fletcher: Character Studies – 3 Acts, a series of
flags designed specifically to accompany the Westwood exhibition. These three flags,
designed by Northumberland-based artist, Meg Fletcher, link the rebellious spirit and
visual legacy of Dame Vivienne Westwood with the pioneering vision of The Bowes
Museum’s co-founder, Joséphine Bowes.
Final Curator-Led Tour
Alongside the exhibition, the museum has been running a full programme of Westwood
inspired events and activities for adults and children. The programme will conclude with a
Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary Spotlight tour led by Curator of Fashion
and Textiles, Rachel Whitworth, at 11am on Thursday 3 September 2026.
Rachel worked closely with Associate Curator and Vivienne Westwood collector Peter
Smithson and her tours reveal the stories behind the pieces and how they mirror objects
from The Bowes Museum’s permanent collection. This special spotlight tour and entry to
the exhibition are both included in museum admission.
A select number of items from the exhibition will remain on display in the Fashion and
Textiles Gallery after the exhibition closes, offering visitors a continuing insight into
Westwood’s creative practice.
