Naomi Campbell’s outlook towards activism has been heavily influenced by Vivienne Westwood.
The 49-year-old model first met the acclaimed designer when she was just 16, and Vivienne played a major role in Naomi’s and Kate Moss’ subsequent passion for activism.
During a sit-down discussion between the fashion icons for British Vogue magazine, Naomi explained: "You sat us down and gave us a talking to about being conscious in the world.
"That had a big impact on me. It was around the time that I started working with Nelson Mandela in South Africa, so it was all new to me still."
Despite her personal fame and success, Naomi – who has supported numerous charities during her career – has always been passionate about activism.
And the London-born model insisted that her enthusiasm for the various causes she supports remains as strong as ever.
She said: "You know, they have these posh words for it now, like philanthropy. For me it was just like, you do it because you want to do it."
Vivienne, 78, began her career campaigning for human rights.
And she believes that many of the problems currently facing the world can be traced back to the financial system, describing it as "rotten".
She reflected: "It’s the rotten financial system that’s the cause of the whole thing, it takes money from the poor and gives it to the rich. And therefore, you’ve got this incredible gap, and it creates climate change, because it’s raping the earth and it creates poverty."
Over the years, Vivienne has managed to successfully combine her activism with her designing.
She added: "It’s very, very important to look great if you want to make a point, because then people [take you seriously]."
Naomi Campbell says Vivienne Westwood shaped her outlook on activism
