Vivienne Westwood became an iconic fashion house almost in spite of itself, or, at the very least, without ever behaving like a brand desperately scrambling for its place in the sun.
Its legacy is a substantial one: decades on the catwalk that helped reshape the world of designer clothes for men, making it more distinctive, more personal and freer from the tired old rules that had turned the male wardrobe into a guided tour of unrelenting boredom.
The new designer menswear collection marks another chapter in that story. There is an abundance of pieces to choose from, an enviable sense of coherence and a collection that knows exactly what it wants to say. Above all, there is fashion spoken in the language of Vivienne Westwood, a language anyone can borrow to tell their own story through what they wear.
It is menswear unlike anything else in the 2026/27 collections. As ever, close attention is paid to cuts, fabrics, colours, prints and details. As ever, the style is unique and immediately recognisable. As ever, tradition is acknowledged only where it deserves to be, and where it actually makes sense. As ever… Vivienne Westwood.
A Pattern for freedom
Some may find the claim rather grand, but the truth is that this collection goes well beyond the clichés that insist on placing the brand neatly inside the boxes marked anarchy, ignored rules and conventions gleefully turned upside down.
Rather than relying on overt political statements, it is the pattern cutting that does the talking.
And once again, it speaks fluent Vivienne Westwood. Never banal, never predictable and never content simply to repeat itself.
There are oversized jackets that still create strong, deliberate silhouettes, and asymmetric cuts that, to the trained eye, feel like new notes added to symphonies already written into the history of fashion.
Vivienne Westwood’s latest collection positively exudes tailoring, combining its ingredients with the precision of master craftspeople. A jacket can be distorted without becoming unrecognisable. A rule can be broken without pretending it never existed in the first place.
The result is provocation with a purpose, rather than provocation for its own sake. It is an invitation to move beyond our comfort zone while, at the same time, offering us a new and rather more forward-thinking one.
The Spirit of Britishness
The conventions of Britishness have perhaps been revisited so often that even the tartan must be feeling a little weary.
That is not the case with Vivienne Westwood’s latest collection of men’s designer clothes.
Tartan returns, as do details that pay tribute to the traditions of London streetwear, but they are woven into garments of far greater complexity, pieces that go well beyond homage for homage’s sake.
This is not a case of hitching a free ride on a tradition that is popular and easy to sell. It is the addition of a new chapter to a story that has been unfolding for decades and still possesses the cultural force to fill several more pages.
The final judgement, of course, belongs to each individual. A look through the 2026/27 collection is enough to form one’s own opinion, whether on the house’s website, where pieces can be ordered or saved to try later in a boutique, or in person.
It captures the spirit of contemporary menswear with remarkable confidence.
