The Life of Kate Moss
The original London Look girl, Kate Moss has made her name as the nation’s sweetheart and is the epitome of 1990s model culture. Her iconic modelling career and photoshoots with her recognisable diastema and girl-next-door image have seemed to make an imprint in all our hearts and still to this day she upholds the standards this has brought onto her. In this blog I will be diving into Kate’s history on just how she became one of the most recognisable figures within our culture.
Moss grew up in Croydon from a humble home, and at the young age of 14 she was discovered by Sarah Doukas, the owner of modelling agency Storm. From here, a series of photographs were published within The Face magazine which caught the attention of the fashion industry, sparking an evolution of female image from the glamourous and untouchables to the everyday natural looking women. Due to her street style and height, Moss became known as the first ‘anti-model’.
Although her early images caused controversy due to her young age and slender figure, she brought the grunge style into high street shops everywhere and became one of the most sought after models in the UK. In the following decades she featured in campaigns for Dior, Burberry, Chanel, Versace and Dolce and Gabbana.
With most modelling careers ending within people 20s, Kate carried on in full force way into the 21st century and appeared in over 300 magazine covers. Alongside her modelling career, she ventured into design-related ventures with her first being her 2007 Topshop collection which sold out within one day. In 2010 she debuted a line of handbags for Longchamp and her first lipstick collection for Rimmel London became available in 2011.
With her evolutionary vision in the fashion industry, Kate has won various awards such as the Fashion Influence Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and a place on vanity Fair’s international best-dressed list. In 2013, Moss made a bold move of posing nude for Playboys 60th anniversary issue and within that same month she received the Special Recognition award at the British Fashion Awards, acknowledging her contribution to the fashion industry within her 25-year career.
To this day, Kate Moss is still making her way through the fashion world and leaving a footprint on style and image. She has made countless appearances on TV shows, music videos and movie cameos, and is still seen around our high streets in her makeup brands and perfumes. From being discovered in an airport, her whole life changed including ours and the way we view the fashion industry.
By Victoria Fletcher
