Emerging on the runway with bedrolls, cardboard boxes, sleeping bags, and other sorts of items, models for Dame Vivienne Westwood’s latest fashion line surpised fashion experts at last week’s Milan fashion week. The show, which featured Dame Vivienne’s latest menswear line, took place at the Museo della Permanente, Milan as part of the city’s famous fashion week taking place this week.

The idea behind the line was hobo-chic with models emerging looking more like rough-sleepers than high-street fashion gods. Westwood’s take on her theme encompasses a much broader viewpoint, however, which she said was inspired by a lawyer friend of her husband’s who works for a charity which centres around the homeless.

Ms. Westwood commented after the show that the line had been her husband, Austrian-born Andreas Kronthaler’s idea. The catwalk was decked out with cardboard boxes while model’s hair was intentionally dishevelled and discoloured.

Despite, somewhat shocked reactions most critics seem to be upholding the move as brave and innovative, with one media outlet saying that the move
was odd, but heroic.

Westwood said that, although she has no lens into the life a homeless person, she was aware of the delicate subject matter. Westwood ended the show by being wheeled onto the stage via an ambulence stretcher to a huge applause from the audience and critics in attendance.