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Katherine "Kate" Ann Moss (born 16
January 1974) is an English model. She has appeared on over 300 magazine
covers. She is known for her waifish figure, uncommonly short height for a
fashion model, and appearances in many advertising campaigns. She is also
notorious for her high-profile relationships and party lifestyle. In 2007,
she came 2nd on the Forbes top 15 richest supermodels list, estimated to
have earned $9 million in one year.
Moss was born in Addiscombe, Croydon, London to Linda Rosina (Shepherd), a
barmaid, and Peter Edward Moss, a travel agent. Kate has a younger brother
named Nick and a half-sister and half-brother. Moss's parents divorced
when she was 13. She attended Ridgeway Primary School and Riddlesdown High
School in Purley. She was not particularly noted for her academic success,
although she did excel at sports. According to Fred Vermorel's Addicted to
Love: Kate Moss, "Out of eight GCSEs she scraped through with one C (in
Science) and all the rest were Ds, Es and Fs".
Moss was discovered in 1988 at the age of 14 by Sarah Doukas, the founder
of Storm Model Management, at JFK Airport in New York City, after a
holiday in The Bahamas. Moss's career began when Corinne Day shot
black-and-white photographs of her, styled by Melanie Ward, for British
magazine The Face when she was 15, in a photo shoot titled "The Third
Summer of Love". Moss then went on to become the "anti-supermodel" of the
1990s in contrast to the "supermodels" of the moment, such as Cindy
Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, who were known for their
curvaceous and tall figures.
Moss was voted 8th in Maxim's "50 Sexiest Women of 1999" and 22nd in FHM's
"100 Sexiest Women of 1995". Men's magazine Arena named her as their
Sexiest Woman in their 150th issue. In March 2007, Moss won the Sexiest
Woman NME Award. She made her first appearance in the British women's
Sunday Times Rich List in 2007, where she was estimated to be worth £45
million. She ranked as the 99th richest woman in Britain. In the 2009 Rich
List, she was ranked as the 1348th richest person in the UK, with a net
worth of £40 million.
In July 2007, earning an estimated total of $9 million in the past 12
months, Forbes magazine named her second on the list of the World's 15
top-earning supermodels.
Moss ushered in the waif look in 1993 (which prompted much speculation
over her weight) with a highly publicised campaign for Calvin Klein. Her
depiction in photographs also drew criticism from then-President of the
United States Bill Clinton, who spoke out against the growing heroin chic
trend. When questioned about her weight, Moss commented "It was just the
time. It was a swing from more buxom girls like Cindy Crawford and people
were shocked to see what they called a 'waif'. What can you say? How many
times can you say 'I'm not anorexic'?" Moss found success in the industry
despite being unusually short for a fashion model and has worked for many
elite fashion lines.
In addition to being known for her modelling work, Kate Moss is also an
international fashion icon. She has garnered many awards for her style,
including the Council of Fashion Designers of America's fashion influence
award and a place on the Vanity Fair international best-dressed list. In
the early part of the 21st century she was, together with actress Sienna
Miller, one of the main proponents of boho-chic. She appeared on the cover
of Vanity Fair's September 2006 style issue. In the year of 2005–2006, her
style was influenced by Rock and Roll. Due to her reputation, she is
credited for setting numerous trends. In recent years, she has popularised
denim cutoff shorts, Ugg boots, ballet flats, Vivienne Westwood Pirate
Boots, skinny jeans, waistcoat, Alexander McQueen's skull scarf, Louis
Vuitton's Sprouse Leopard Cashmere Scarf, and the Balenciaga handbag, as
well as recently bringing high-waisted styles and waist-cinching belts
back into popularity.
In 2008, Moss was added to PETA's 'Worst-Dressed' Celebrities of 2008'
because of her frequent use of fur.
Moss has had campaigns with major Italian, French, American, and British
designers including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Calvin
Klein, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Missoni, Longchamp, David Yurman, Dior,
Yves Saint-Laurent, Burberry,Stella McCartney, Rimmel, and Bvlgari,
including a campaign for the successful Brazilian label ELLUS during
summer 2000. She has been featured in fashion spreads in most major
fashion magazines including UK, US, and French Vogue magazines (as well as
other international versions of Vogue), Another Man, Vanity Fair, the
Face, and W. Moss has appeared on the cover of British Vogue alone 26
times, in addition to dozens of other international Vogue covers, and has
been featured on the cover of 17 issues of W, including one issue with
nine different covers that featured the model. W even names Moss its muse
(September 2003 issue). She has worked with the most well-known
photographers in the fashion industry today, such as Mario Testino, Mario
Sorrenti, Steven Klein, Juergen Teller, and Peter Lindbergh, and won the
prestigious Vogue/CFDA award from the Fashion Designers of America in July
2005 as Fashion Inspiration. The haute couture dress she wore to the award
ceremony was from the Christian Dior autumn 2005 haute couture designed by
John Galliano.
April 2005 saw the launch of the Rimmel London mascara TV ad featuring a
leather-clad Kate Moss riding a motorbike through London to the sound of
the rock song "Another Cold Beer" by Steven Crayn.
Twelve months after her cocaine scandal, Moss made a comeback by bagging
18 top modelling contracts for the Autumn/Winter 2006 season: Rimmel,
Agent Provocateur, Virgin Mobile, Belstaff, Beymen, Dior, Louis Vuitton,
Roberto Cavalli, Longchamp, Stella McCartney, Bulgari, Chanel, Nikon,
David Yurman, Versace, Mia Shvili, Calvin Klein Jeans and Burberry. Moss
also agreed to make her first foray into the design world by designing a
collection, in collaboration with Katy England, for Topshop, Moss launched
a fragrance and body lotion range bearing her name in association with
Coty in 2007.
According to Forbes, Moss has earned more money since her cocaine scandal
than ever before: her 2004–2005 earnings were $5 million and her 2005–2006
earnings were $8 million. In 2007, with estimated earnings of $9 million,
she was the second highest paid model in the world, behind Gisele
Bündchen.
In November 2006, Moss won the Model of the Year prize at the British
Fashion Awards, the top accolade in British fashion, but the award divided
opinion and stirred fresh controversy.
On 27 September 2007, The Sun published a story entitled, "Kate Moss
dumped by seven brands", describing her "cocaine honeymoon" as fading
away. The story continues by stating that in autumn 2006 she had eighteen
contracts in comparison to 2007's eleven, and that in 2006 fashion bible
Vogue had six campaigns using Moss including Dior, Louis Vuitton and
Burberry, but November 2007's issue has none. The story concludes by
saying that an industry source has said "She is still very big but the
honeymoon period has ended."
Despite these press reports, Moss was later announced as the face of Donna
Karan, Yves Saint-Laurent and Roberto Cavalli for spring 2008.
Despite all press reports and comments about her relevancy as a model,
Moss frequently appears in advertising campaigns; most recently she
appears in the Autumn 2008 advertising campaigns for Donna Karan
Collection, Stella McCartney and Roberto Cavalli.
On 1 May 2007, a collection of clothes purported to be designed by Moss
exclusively for the Topshop chain were launched across the UK in the
chain's 225 stores. A Kate Moss "countdown to launch" board filled a
window of the company's flagship Oxford Street store and on 30 April, Moss
launched the clothing line at Topshop in Oxford Street, where she briefly
appeared in the shop window modelling a red dress from the clothing
collection just before the shop was opened, causing a media frenzy.
Topshop has reportedly paid Moss £3 million for her work which consists of
choosing designs and then modelling them, as well as allowing her name to
be used on the garments. The collection of fifty designs includes clothes,
bags, shoes and belts where prices range from £12 for a vest top to £150
for a cropped leather jacket. Clothes in the collection include skinny
jeans, one-shoulder mini dresses and T-shirts with the letter K woven into
the design. However, purchases were limited to five items per shopper to
prevent the clothes appearing on eBay, and customers were only allowed to
try on eight garments in the shop. Despite these efforts, the day after
the launch saw hundreds of items up for sale on eBay. Although bulk buying
is restricted the collection is not a limited edition and the range will
remain in stores for an indefinite period.
The collection received mixed reviews from the fashion press. British
fashion critics lauded the range, however the New York Post hailed it
"Duplikate", based on the strong similarities between Moss's own wardrobe.
The range was mildly criticised by fashion advisors Trinny Woodall and
Susannah Constantine, who argued that the clothing was modelled for only
the slimmest of women, and that they were not suitable for the average
woman's figure. They stated, "No one has a figure like hers so her clothes
only really look good on her – not real women." The Topshop range was
later released in the United States at the New York chain store Barneys,
where 26 designs from the range were on sale for higher prices.
Moss's underwear collection for Topshop went on sale on 22 October 2007.
With her name licensed to TopShop, Moss has been able to pursue other
design opportunities. In early 2010 it was revealed that her name would be
put to a range of handbags for luxury goods house Longchamp.
Moss has appeared in music videos such as "Kowalski" by Primal Scream, "I
Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" by the White Stripes, "Something
About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John, "Sex with Strangers" by
Marianne Faithfull and "Delia's Gone" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by
Johnny Cash.
She has also provided vocals for songs by Primal Scream (the 2003 version
of "Some Velvet Morning") and Babyshambles. Her vocals are featured on the
Babyshambles song "La Belle et la Bête", singing the line "Is she more
beautiful than me?". Prior to breaking up with Pete Doherty, Moss co-wrote
four songs on Babyshambles' second album Shotter's Nation—"You Talk",
"French Dog Blues", "Baddie's Boogie", and "Deft Left Hand".
Moss has also DJ'd on more than one occasion at the Death Disco club with
her friends Alan McGee and BP Fallon.
Moss is also known for her close friendships with many rock and roll icons
and musicians such as Elton John, Mick Jones,Philip Colbert, Anita
Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull, Bobby Gillespie and Siobhan Fahey.
In 1999, Moss played a non-musical role in the British television comedy
Blackadder: Back & Forth, appearing both as Maid Marian and as a fictional
Queen of England "who looks good naked".
Moss has also been the subject of portraits by contemporary artists such
as Lucian Freud and Chuck Close. In 2005, a painting of Moss by Freud sold
for £3.93 million at a Christie's auction. Close has taken a series of
daguerreotypes of Moss, which he has also translated into Jacquard
tapestry.
On 8 May 2009, it was reported that Moss would begin writing an
autobiography, published by Richard Branson who said the book would make
"an interesting read." It is reputed to have cost Branson £1 million.
Kate Moss has a daughter, Lila Grace Moss, born on 29 September 2002, with
Dazed & Confused editor Jefferson Hack. She is also godmother to the two
sons of The Clash member Paul Simonon and to the daughter of Sadie Frost
and Jude Law.
Moss has long been linked romantically with former Libertines member Pete
Doherty, first meeting him at her 31st birthday party in January 2005. On
11 April 2007, Doherty announced Moss as his fiancée during one of his
concerts in London, at which Moss also performed. Doherty planned to marry
Moss during the summer of 2007. However, in July 2007 Moss and Doherty
split. A removal van arrived to take away Doherty's possessions from
Moss's home after they had a series of rows and arguments. Doherty is
reported to have said, "It's like living with a fucking stalker." Moss had
also changed the locks to the gates allowing access into her house. She
was due to model on the catwalk for John Galliano with Linda Evangelista,
Naomi Campbell, Lily Cole and Gisele Bündchen but was too distraught with
her break-up to participate.
Moss currently lives with her daughter Lila in a £9 million townhouse in
St John's Wood, North London. Tabloids and gossip magazines frequently
report on her status, and since Doherty, Moss has been dating Jamie Hince,
guitarist for The Kills. The Sun reported on 26 March 2008, that Moss was
due to marry Hince after becoming engaged during a trip to Amsterdam;
however, various other British tabloids reported that the Sun article was
false. On 22 April 2009, Lillian Berlin of American band Living Things
said in an interview that Moss had slept with his brother and band-mate
Eve Berlin in June 2008, during the time she was dating Hince.
British tabloids and the paparazzi, particularly the Daily Mirror, have
long claimed that Moss habitually used cocaine. In interviews, Moss
dismissed these claims as ridiculous, and the Sunday Mirror was sued
successfully by Moss for claiming that she had slipped into a coma after
taking large amounts of cocaine in Spain in the 1990s.
On 15 September 2005, the Daily Mirror ran front page and inside photos
that seemed to show Moss snorting several lines of cocaine at a
Babyshambles recording session. It was also reported that Moss snorted
five lines in 40 minutes. It has been alleged by Babyshambles' singer Pete
Doherty that James Mullord, his former manager, sold the photos to the
newspaper for more than £150,000. Within a short time of publication, Moss
lost major modelling contracts with several international companies.
On 20 September 2005, the Swedish fashion retailer H&M, which had intended
to feature her in a campaign of their autumn clothes range designed by
Moss's good friend Stella McCartney, announced instead that it was
dropping Moss after the drug allegations. The contract was reportedly
worth £4 million a year. A day later, Chanel announced that it would not
be renewing its contract with Moss, which was set to expire that October,
although the company said that its decision had nothing to do with the
drug scandal. Burberry also decided to drop Moss's campaign with them.
Moss quickly issued an apology, though she stopped short of admitting drug
use. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there
are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking
the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them," she said. "I want to
apologise to all of the people I have let down because of my behaviour,
which has reflected badly on my family, friends, co-workers, business
associates and others."
Moss continued to appear in major ad campaigns during this period for
Dior. She was on the cover of the November 2005 W and also appeared inside
in a multi-page fashion shoot. She was also defended by friends and
supporters, including models Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen, French
actress Catherine Deneuve, her ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp, and designer
Alexander McQueen. McQueen's defence was especially notable, and during
his walk-out after a fashion show he wore a t-shirt saying "We love you
Kate".
Artist Stella Vine also publicly supported Moss, and paintings by Vine of
the model, painted during the scandal, were exhibited and reproduced in
the press. Vine defended Moss, saying to The Independent: "I had been
painting Kate Moss for a long time, both before the time of her crisis and
during it. I felt very strongly for her - she's a hard-working mum and it
seemed as if suddenly the world turned against her." Vine's large
paintings of Moss include Holy water cannot help you now (2005) and Kate
unfinished (2005), whilst another had the slogan Must be the season of the
witch across it in red paint. Vine compared the supermodel to Mona Lisa
and said, "There's a bravery in Kate's eyes and I love her for that." Vine
felt the media should not have accused Moss of being a bad mother, arguing
that "men can go off and take as many drugs as they want, have as many
children as they want, and their parenting rarely comes into question". A
Vine painting of Moss was bought by Alexander McQueen.
Pop singer Robbie Williams said of Moss's relationship with Doherty, "I
can understand why Kate finds it difficult to leave Pete; he has a certain
charisma surrounding him." In November 2005, Moss ended her relationship
with Doherty soon after he checked himself out of Meadows Clinic in
Arizona, failing to complete a programme for drug rehabilitation. Moss
herself underwent successful treatment there in October and had urged
Doherty to seek the same treatment himself. Doherty claims that their
separation involved other issues, telling the The Sun newspaper that Moss
left him because, "I can’t buy her diamonds." On 5 January 2006, the
Metropolitan Police asked Moss to return from the US to Britain to answer
questions about the September 2005 cocaine scandal. The following day, the
Daily Mirror reported that Moss would return to Britain and face arrest
for allegations of cocaine usage. She was interviewed by police in London
on 31 January 2006, with her solicitor present, but reportedly made no
admissions, and she was not arrested (photographs of alleged drug-taking
are not admissible evidence in English courts). On 16 June 2006, British
police finally dropped the charges for lack of evidence. Ultimately, Moss
was cleared of all charges and resumed her modelling career. Criticism of
Moss has, however, continued, and her career revival has been viewed as a
sign of moral and cultural decline by conservatives such as Peter
Hitchens.
In 2008, it was reported that a £1.5m ($2.8m) 100% gold statue had been
made of supermodel Kate Moss as part of a British Museum exhibition.
Entitled Siren, the 50 kg (110 lb) hollow statue was made by Marc Quinn,
who described Moss as "the ideal beauty of the moment". The statue is said
to be the largest gold statue to be created since the era of Ancient
Egypt. |
