Not many 71-year-olds can pull off being Dames, punks, eco-warriors, and human rights advocates simultaneously. But for Dame Vivienne Westwood, it’s all part of a good day’s work. The fiery haired fashion designer has been an activist icon since she opened her shop, SEX, with the late Malcolm Mclaren in the 1970s. The bondage-centric store put a face on the UK’s then growing punk movement. Since, Westwood has used her spot in the public eye, as well as her runway collections, to champion causes that she feels passionate about, like climate change and preventing abuses of human rights.

During her spring 2013 Red Label show in London, Westwood came out for her bow wearing wacky black and white face paint and a T-shirt that read “Climate Revolution.” In 2005, the designer launched the Active Resistance project, which addresses humanitarian and environmental issues. She wrote her own manifesto in 2008 that spoke out against excessive consumption and its political and cultural repercussions. In the same vein, in a 2011 interview with British Marie Claire, she urged readers to adopt an eco-friendly approach to shopping, asking them to “buy less and choose well,” as opposed to gorging on unsustainable fast fashion deals. And just last year, she went down to London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral to support protestors involved in the Occupy Movement. The BBC reported that Westwood addressed the crowd and said, “What you’re doing, I think it’s wonderful.” In short, the Dame is not one to keep quiet.

Her crusade for her causes continued last week when she wore a Julian Assange T-shirt to visit the WikiLeaks founder, who is currently holed up at London’s Ecuadorian Embassy in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he’s wanted for alleged sexual offenses. Ecuador has granted Assange political asylum, as he believes he will be sent to the United States to answer for WikiLeaks’ release of US intelligence documents.

Westwood wore the shirt which, baring the phrase “I'm Julian Assange,” is printed with the designer’s own face. The T-shirt made its grand debut at Westwood’s spring 2013 show, where it was worn by model Jade Parfitt, who sat in the front row.  It should also be noted that Westwood isn’t the first eccentric celeb to show support for Assange: Lady Gaga visited him at the embassy earlier this month.

Regardless of where you stand on the WikiLeaks debate, Westwood’s actions, both last week and throughout her career, prove that, no matter what the cause, it’s possible to have a global impact through fashion.