It's usually the clothes Vivienne Westwood sends down the catwalk at the centre of attention at London Fashion Week.

But this year the British designer carried her own message, about Julian Assange.

The Wikileaks founder remains holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, as he resists extradition to Sweden where he's wanted on sexual assault and rape allegations.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, SAYING:

"I'm a big supporter of Julian Assange and he needs support because there's a confusion from feminists and he's an incredible hero because he has exposed the lies of the war mafia people."

Westwood says she's raised 3000 pounds for Assange by selling the t-shirts.

But back to the models, and her Red Label show.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, SAYING:

"So this is stuff that we know it rather well and it's there to help women look rather glamorous for their daywear and eveningwear and so it's just a synthesis of what I do."

Making political statements at London Fashion Week isn't new, and neither is the amount of business being done here, with the showcase expecting to attract 100 million pounds worth of orders.