Vivienne Westwood’s granddaughter exits brand, cites ‘breakdown in relations’

Cora Corré, the granddaughter of the late designer Vivienne Westwood, has exited the brand in order to focus her energy on its namesake not-for-profit organisation, the Vivienne Foundation.

Corré announced the news on her official Instagram account, where she said there had been “much confusion” surrounding her role within the Vivienne Westwood company, which she felt did not reflect the values of her grandmother “at this time”.

Now serving as the foundation’s campaign and project manager, Corré’s statement continued: “Due to a breakdown in relations between the Vivienne Westwood company and the Vivienne Foundation, my role within the company has become untenable.

“Moving forward, I will focus my energy on honouring my grandmother’s legacy through the Vivienne Foundation and continuing the work that was so important to her.”

Tension between the foundation and Westwood’s company began brewing upon the launch of a collaborative capsule between the British brand and streetwear label Palace, which the foundation said disregarded Westwood’s legacy.

Corré issues scathing letter to employees calling for CEO’s removal

It must be noted that prior to Westwood’s passing, she had established the foundation and transferred all her creative design and property rights to the organisation. Following the release of Palace collaboration, however, the foundation claimed that the launch of the capsule was undertaken without its consultation.

While recognising that Palace had entered the collaboration in “good faith”, a statement from the foundation earlier in October said that it hoped “all parties will honour Vivienne’s wishes moving forward”.

Now, the leadership of the Vivienne Westwood brand, currently helmed by CEO Carlo D’Amario, has been called further into question by Corré. Alongside her Instagram post, Corré is also believed to have issued a letter to the company’s staff, to which she called for the removal of D’Amario, as reported by The Times.

“In the years before my grandmother’s death, she was deeply dissatisfied with how the company was being run. It was her wish that D’Amario be removed and that the company be run in a way that respected her values,” Corré stated, before alleging that in Westwood’s final years, D’Amario had also mistreated the designer.

A similar sentiment had already been shared by Westwood’s close friend, designer Jeff Banks, who was believed to have been ousted from the company following a boardroom coup and allegations of in-fighting. In July, it was reported that Banks had also expressed concern about how the fashion house was being run, with a “mismatch between the heritage” of the brand causing clashes among management.