Model Tamy Glauser remembers his discoverer Vivienne Westwood († 81)
“We are both rebels, that’s what connected us”
Exactly ten years ago, the late fashion icon Vivienne Westwood († 81) gave Tamy Glauser the first catwalk job. The Bernese top model tells Blick about his special relationship with the designer and explains what made her so extraordinary.
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Was discovered ten years ago by star designer Vivienne Westwood († 81): Bernese top model Tamy Glauser.
Patricia BroderEditor People
British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood is dead. The Briton, known for her androgynous cuts and provocative slogans, has died at the age of 81, her agent announced to the press on Thursday evening. It is said that Dame Vivienne died “peacefully and surrounded by her family in Clapham, South London”. Her husband Andreas Kronthaler (56) emphasized in a statement: “We worked to the end and she gave me many things that I can continue with. Thanks. Darling.”
Vivienne Westwood, whose global fashion brand now has stores around the world, is credited with pioneering punk in fashion. Even in old age, crazy outfits were part of her trademark. And the designer was way ahead of her time. As early as the noughties, she had androgynous models march down the catwalk, including the Bernese model Tamy Glauser (37), who became one of Westwood’s muses. “Your death affects me very much,” says Glauser to Blick. “With her momentum and her power, I thought Vivienne would definitely be over 90 years old.”
Westwood gave Glauser his first runway job in 2012
Glauser still remembers the first contact with the fashion designer well. “It was 2012 and she gave me my first job in Paris, she booked my first show – so Westwood actually discovered Tamy.” The model, who was born in Paris in 1985, was visiting her parents that evening in the French capital in 2012. “We were all having dinner together when I got a call from my agent telling me I was going to walk for Vivienne Westwood. I was overjoyed and of course we toasted my first job as a catwalk model straight away.»
In the ten years that followed, a close working relationship developed between the two. The Bernese model became a favorite of the British punk icon. Westwood even made Glauser the face of their new collection in July 2016. “We always had a great time together,” Glauser recalls. “You could always have a good chat with her. She was super smart, very young even in her old age, self-critical and with an incredible drive. » If they were both in the same town, they would have met each other for dinner. “We’re both independent rebels, that’s what connected us,” says Glauser.
Glauser is certain that the work and spirit of the revolutionary fashion designer and environmental activist would live on after her death. “The young generation in particular feels attracted to diverse fashions such as Vivienne Westwood’s. That’s why I’m toasting Queen Vivi tonight!”