Vivienne Westwood Designing Eco-Friendly Palladium Jewelry Line
Dame Vivienne Westwood may have punk roots, but these days she's more into heavy metal.
The fashion designer will be collaborating with Palladium Alliance International on a jewelry line featuring the eco-friendly, nature-derived metal, according to a press release.
The "Get a Life" Palladium Collection will be sold exclusively in Westwood's London and Los Angeles boutiques following its debut at London Fashion Week next month.
While an early sketch of the collection (left) reveals a sweet-looking inscribed heart-shaped pendant necklace in the naturally white Palladium, the British designer says there's more to the line—which also features nature and pagan symbols like the acorn and oak tree—than just a little bling.
“Jewelry has nothing to do with Get a Life," Westwood says.
"Get a Life is about how we stop climate change and therefore preserve life for the next generation while at that same time get a better life. My focus at the moment is what one person can do. Stop climate change. Save the planet. The acorn is symbolic of the rainforest, its importance and how it is our first duty to save it.”
It's just the latest eco-minded project for Westwood, who has teamed up with eco-friendly footwear label Melissa and urged a curb on clothes shopping.
“We wanted Dame Vivienne Westwood to showcase Palladium to the world because of her continued exploration and reinterpretation of history, combined with a tireless individualism which has cemented her reputation as the UK’s most culturally significant fashion designer," adds PAI chairman John Stark.
"We believe this creativity and individuality make her the perfect fit for the brand and her designs will complement our metal.”
Meanwhile, students of FIT's Jewelry Design Program will be working with style bloggers to create a bespoke Palladium jewelry collection for Spring 2011, while PAI has also partnered with London's Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design on a jewelry design competition.
