Vivienne Westwood to close stores and HQ in support of climate strike

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 19, 2019

Designer brand Vivienne Westwood has announced that its offices and stores in London, Paris, Milan, New York and Los Angeles will close from Friday 20 September to allow employees to join the Global Climate Strike.

This will include the brand’s headquarters in London and flagship stores in Italy, France and the US. The shops in China and Japan will continue to trade as usual, it is understood.

Vivienne Westwood is the latest name to join the global movement, with activists and NGOs urging young people and adults to take to the streets to demand action on climate change.

The global strike will take place from 20 September until Sunday 27 September to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels ahead of the UN Emergency Climate Summit in New York. 

“This topic is of vital importance to the Vivienne Westwood company. Giving our staff the opportunity of making a difference at this critical time reflects the fact that we recognise that ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option,” the luxury brand said in a press release.

A series of NGOs, unions and employees at global companies such as Amazon and Patagonia have joined the cause. Patagonia is closing all of its stores and offices around the world, while it has been estimated that at least 1,000 Amazon employees will walk out in support of the strike on 20 September.