Starting university is definitely no walk in the park; you’ll cry, laugh, and party like you’ve never done in your life before, and honestly sometimes it can get overwhelming. When choosing where to go, some people prioritise location, job prospectus’, and sometimes the people who studied at the same institute. And so with that, we have compiled a list of the most notable University of Westminster alumni so that you can truly start to learn about its history, and soon enough you may be at the top (no pressure).
Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood was born in Cheshire in 1941 to a seemingly ordinary family, but you may know her now as the iconic fashion designer and businesswoman famous for bringing modern punk into mainstream fashion. Well, Westwood actually moved to Harrow at the age of 17 with her family and began attending the University of Westminster (formerly known then as Harrow Art School) studying a jewellery and silversmith course. Although it was only short-lived from 1957-1958, Westwood continued to design clothes of punk fashion and make a lot of merchandise promoting her political causes whilst working as a primary school teacher. By eventually making her award-winning mark on the fashion industry, she never fails to stay close to her London roots and produce the unexpected.
Roger Waters
Born in Surrey, Roger Waters is an English songwriter, singer, bassist and composer famous for founding the band Pink Floyd in 1965. He enrolled in the University of Westminster school of architecture in 1962 after initially considering a career in mechanical engineering; however, he lost interest in his studies by September of 1963. After meeting his future Pink Floyd band members Nick Mason and Richard Wright at the university, he decided to pursue a career in music and often rehearsed in a tearoom in the basement of the Regents Street campus.
Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker is an English television presenter, author, screenwriter and producer, born in Reading and most notable for being the creator of the psychological series Black Mirror. At the University of Westminster, he pursued a degree in Media Studies. However, there are claims that he never actually graduated because his dissertation, based on video games, was not considered to be an acceptable topic. After leaving education, he began writing for magazines and newspapers such as The Guardian, eventually ending up working successfully for the television industry.
Christopher Bailey
Now I promise that not all of the University of Westminster’s alumni dropped out (although it’s not got the best reputation so far), because Christopher Bailey studied at and graduated from the institute with a degree in fashion, and then went on to complete a masters at the Royal College of Art in 1993. Born in Yorkshire, he is now a famous British fashion designer who was president and chief creative director at Burberry. He has received many awards for his work in fashion, such as Designer of the Year multiple years in a row, and most notably an MBE for his services in the fashion industry.
Stuart Vevers
Another British fashion designer born in Yorkshire, Stuart Vevers attended the University of Westminster, where he graduated with a degree in fashion design in 1996. After his degree, Vevers got his first job at Calvin Klein, then going on to work at huge companies such as Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, where he collaborated with Marc Jacobs. In 2005, he was named as creative director for Mulberry, which won him the award of British Fashion Councils Accessory Designer of the Year in 2006. With such a huge portfolio behind his name, it comes as no surprise that Vevers also became the executive creative director at Coach in 2013, with many more successes coming his way.
Charlie Watts
Born in Kingsbury, Charlie Watts is an English drummer best known as being a member of the Rolling Stones since 1963. He enrolled at the University of Westminster (formerly known at that time as Harrow Art School) until 1960, later working as a graphic designer after graduating. He began to pursue a music career with his friends, also contributing graphic art and comic strips to early Rolling Stones records.
Georgia Toffolo
Georgia Toffolo, a British television and media personality, was born in Devon and is known for appearing in Made in Chelsea from 2014 and then going on to win I’m a Celebrity in 2017. She started an LLB degree in law and politics at the University of Westminster with an ambition to work in commercial law, and although she claims to have dropped out, some sources reported that she did actually complete her degree. Afterwards, she worked in a charity shop, an old people’s home and a few solicitor firms before appearing on Made in Chelsea.
The Uni of Westminster definitely has a pretty good alumni portfolio, but it still doesn’t beat other unis when it comes to having the most rich and famous alumni.
