Days before her death, Vivienne Westwood made her close friend and fellow designer Jeff Banks, 79, in charge of her multimillion-dollar business empire, according to reports.
Citing a filing made to Companies House on Dec. 22, MailOnline noted that Banks is now a director of Vivienne Westwood Ltd. That same day, Westwood, who died Thursday at age 81, made her third husband Andreas Kronthaler, an Austrian designer 25 years her junior, a director and secretary of his wife's property business.
At a time when private-equity firms were being bought out by big names like Armani, Westwood remained determined to retain control of her fashion house.
"I own my own company, so I've never had businessmen telling me what to do or getting worried if something doesn't sell," she previously said, according to MailOnline.
"I've always had my own access to the public, because I started off making my clothes for a little shop and so I've always had people buying them," she added. "I could always sell a few, even if I couldn't sell a lot, and somehow my business grew because people happened to like it."
Westwood’s death was first announced on Twitter by her fashion house, which noted that the queen of fashion died “peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.”
No cause of death was listed but her decision to hand over the reins to Banks and her husband suggests she may have been ill.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Banks reflected on the impact Westwood made in the world.
"It is with great sadness I recognise the passing of my dear friend Vivienne," he captioned a timeless black and white photo of the pair together.
"My heart goes out to her family and husband Andreas," he continued. "This is a moment in history. Someone who forced fashion forward in a crucible of heat combined with an unswerving dedication to fairness, justice and the salvation of our planet.
"A true originator who will forever stand head and shoulders above her contemporaries and take her place forever in the highest echelons of her craft. Rest in peace Vivienne. You did us all a great and everlasting service."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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