Welcome to Fashion Industry Broadcast’s Top Ten countdown for our upcoming TOP MODELS ‘It Girls’ Vol. 61 series involving the biggest names in the modelling world. We love giving you a little taste of what we’ve been up to, so each week we’ll be counting down to the launch of our brand spankin’ new glossy…
Discovered at the age of 14, Katherine “Kate” Ann Moss possesses all of the irresistible ‘It Girl’ factors. Born on January 16, 1974, the English model has become notorious for her status in the fashion industry as a muse, and was discovered at JFK International Airport in 1988 by Sarah Doukas, owner of Storm Models.
Moss appeared on her first cover shot the following year with British Vogue, and from there, her modelling career sky-rocketed after her breakthrough feature in the 1993 Calvin Klein ‘Heroin Kids’ campaign. With her small stature and iconic figure, she popularised the notion of the ‘waif’ look and her delicate beauty became the staple look of the ’90s.
Kate is still every bit as relevant in the year 2015 as she was then, but now in her 40’s, she has a different set of priorities: her daughter, Lila. Despite this, Moss continues to work and thrive, commanding magazine covers, editorials and ad campaign’s all over the world.
It didn’t take long for Moss to become one of the globe’s top models with her waifish build, flawless skin, high profile relationships and extravagant party lifestyle. Moss has not only appeared on over 300 magazine covers, but has published her own book, The Kate Moss Story, and has modelled for almost all of the prestige designers, including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari and Chanel.
Towards the late nineties and at the height of her fame, Moss became the face of major advertising campaigns for Chanel, Rimmel and Christian Dior, further establishing herself as the epitome of style. Moss has featured in the U.S., UK and French Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Face, W and Another Man. As well as her editorial domination, Moss starred in a number of music videos including ‘I Just Dont Know What To Do With Myself’ by The White Stripes, ‘White Light’ by George Micheal, ‘Queenie Eye’ by Sir Paul McCartney and Johnny Cash’s ‘Delia’s Gone’.
Moss has not limited herself to modelling and more recently ventured into the world of entrepreneurship, with the successful launch of a clothing line with the popular British chain, Topshop. The feature garments are inspired by her own personal style and wardrobe, and she has also put her name against a line of perfumery: ‘Kate Moss’, ‘Vintage Muse’ and ‘Love Blossoms’.
Moss has certainly made her mark within the fashion industry and her prominence as a household name is globally recognised. Moss has received numerous awards and recognitions, such as the Worlds’ Best Dressed Woman by UK Glamour Magazine, Fashion Personality of the Year/Model of the Year at the VH1 Fashion Awards and the coveted Sexiest Woman of all Time, according to a poll conducted by Arena, a popular men’s magazine.In 2005, her naked portrait painted by Lucian Freud was sold for an astonishing 3.9 million pounds (U.S. 7.2 million) by Christies in London.
The nineties was a time when the fashion industry turned the nihilistic vision of beauty into a new fashion trend known as ‘Heroin Chic’. This shift was about glorification, addiction and rebellion, and Moss was crowned as the undisputed queen. According to an article by Radar Online, Moss met Johnny Depp, who was 11-years her senior at New York’s grungy-East village in February 1994. The pair’s relationship was allegedly wild and documented well in the tabloids – Champagne Supernova author Maureen Callahan reported:
“They had a drink, did some coke, and then went back to his hotel room, where they holed up the next day through a snowstorm.”
In fact, it was this relationship that solidified the era, and the tumultuous Moss-Depp romance was considered to be the ideal romance of the era. She ushered in this movement, glorifying the waifish look she had perfectly crafted, and her campaign with Calvin Klein served as a quintessential example of the worldwide fascination of this movement, appearing in simple but revealing outfits.
Each showcased her protruding bone structure and the dark circles around her eyes and highlighted her power and influence as a muse. The look became almost a resistance to modelling by the rules and for that, she became an idol for aspiring models of the generation. Many today still want to be her – she created the notion that models no longer had to have a reputation of unobtainable perfection.
More than any other model of her generation, Moss has made the transfer from model to supermodel to style icon seamlessly and without a care in the world – and even now continues to diversify.
She’s the girl that everyone wants to be and her presence as a global style icon has been cemented into the minds of fashion moguls, agencies, fanatics and up-and-comers everywhere. Moss is undoubtedly a true ‘It Girl’ of the past and present – could you imagine a model universe without her?
Stay tuned for our upcoming TOP MODELS ‘It Girls’ Vol. 61 coming soon!
