British designer Vivienne Westwood dies at age 81

British designer Vivienne Westwood died Thursday in the south London suburb of Clapham at the age of 81. Her company, Vivienne Westwood, announced her death on its Twitter account, although it did not specify the cause. "The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better" the statement concludes.

Vivienne goes down in history as the driving force behind the punk aesthetic. In her collections, she mixed aspects of rock, royalty, art and religion. This brought a rebellious touch to the British style that would later make her famous for bringing punk style to haute couture.

Westwood's fashion career began in 1970 with the punk explosion. Her radical approach to urban style soon won over the rest of the world. She had a long career and was successful in fashion shows in London, Paris, Milan, and New York.

In an autobiographical memoir published in 2014 and titled "Vivienne Westwood," she wrote that people “seem surprised still that you can have been in punk and then also be in couture, but it’s all connected.”

“It’s not about fashion, you see,” she wrote. “For me, it’s about the story. It’s about ideas.”