vivienne westwood | the spring cherubs capsule collection

Aleks Soroka.

Art history has always lingered within the world of Vivienne Westwood. Corsetry borrowed from portraiture, salon-inspired silhouettes, references pulled from centuries of European painting and culture. Now, the house returns once again to one of its longest-running obsessions with the arrival of the limited-edition ‘Spring Cherubs’ capsule collection.

Launching today, the new release centres around François Boucher’s 1753 painting ‘Spring (Le Printemps),’ part of the French Rococo artist’s celebrated ‘Four Seasons’ series. The artwork, filled with playful cherubs drifting through clouds alongside white doves and soft pastel blooms, appears across ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories, transforming one of the 18th century’s most recognisable paintings into a contemporary Vivienne Westwood wardrobe.

Both Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler frequently drew inspiration from Rococo painting, French court dress and the theatricality of 17th and 18th-century salon culture, reworking those references through tailoring, corsetry and an unmistakably rebellious British lens. Many of those ideas first surfaced throughout the house’s archive collections during the 1990s, where historical references collided with Savile Row construction techniques and couture-inspired silhouettes. That conversation between art, craftsmanship and dress remains embedded within the brand today.

Aleks Soroka.

The ‘Spring Cherubs’ capsule revisits those influences through a selection of signature Vivienne Westwood pieces. Crisp shirting silhouettes including the Violin shirt and Two Button Krall are produced in organic cotton, carrying Boucher’s cherubs across structured tailoring, while softer jersey separates introduce a more relaxed interpretation of the print.

Several house signatures also receive the Rococo treatment. The Puppy Corset arrives covered in fragments of the original artwork, while the archival Roman Three Strap Sandal and Worker Runner Holdall translate the painting into accessories. Across the collection, the placement of the artwork shifts between large-scale reproductions that preserve the original composition and smaller repeating motifs that create an almost wallpaper-like effect. Silk scarves showcase the cherub motif in its most painterly form, while watches carry details from Bouchers composition across everyday pieces. 

Aleks Soroka.

The ‘Spring Cherubs’ capsule collection is now available in limited quantities at boutiques globally and online. Discover more here

photography. courtesy of Aleks Soroka for Vivienne Westwood
words. Gennaro Costanzo