Dame Vivienne Westwood, an influential British fashion designer has died aged 81 on Thursday. <br /> <br />Her eponymous fashion house announced her death on social media platforms, saying she died peacefully and surrounded by her family. <br /> <br />Her fashion career began in the 1970s with the punk explosion, when her radical approach to urban street style took the world by storm. <br /> <br />She went on to enjoy a long career highlighted by a string of groundbreaking runway shows in London, Paris, Milan and New York and was named designer of the year by the British Fashion Council in 1990 and 1991. <br /> Report by Hajariv. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
