As far as committing to living a life in the lens is concerned, Kate Moss has a stronger claim than most. She is a supermodel of almost unique acclaim, a photographer’s dream in an era of paparazzi activity that speculates over 24/7 celebrity news, and an object of admiration for fans and fashionistas the world over.
Kate Moss’s saunter along the catwalk, through the music world, onto the high street, and even around the boardroom stands her alone as one of our greatest style icons; and at 47, there is still so much more to come.
And yet, for someone so decorated in the echoes of class, image, luxury, and chic that the fashion industry offers up, her beginnings were comfortably ordinary. Growing up in the 1980s, south London perhaps offered the greatest possible social and material juxtapositions to where Moss would end up. Still, they did at least provoke in a young schoolgirl a desire to escape, experiment and rebel, and those are ultimately the things that have made Kate Moss who she is today.
STRIPLV: What was school life like? MOSS: I went to a school in a place called Purley, in south London. It was an established school that epitomized the harder edge of that era. I think it’s much improved now, but I was never the sort of child who could get inspired by education. It just wasn’t me. Instead, I always looked to my dad, who was in the travel industry and would always talk about how brilliant it was to see the world, so that was always a real ambition of mine when I was a kid. It quickly became my focus over school. Of course, I never dreamed I’d be able to fulfill that through modeling, so when the opportunity came, it was something I jumped at. But as far as growing up in pretty plain surroundings went, it wasn’t a time I’d look back on longingly, certainly in so much as the place itself. I was keen to getaway. STRIPLV: What inspired you artistically when you were young? MOSS: Not much. Where we lived, we grew up around markets, stalls, record stores, and that sort of thing. I didn’t know about fashion, so I wasn’t on the lookout for it at any point. However, there is definitely a part of me that misses the innocence of it all, but not the place. STRIPLV: You have said your parents splitting up brought about a sense of rebellion. MOSS: It’s fair to say I lost interest in school. I was definitely mature for my years, though not as mature as I thought I was, and from very early on, I was focused on the evolving of social life and getting out in the world. I lived with my mom, Linda, and was encouraged to do this, while my father, Peter, and his work for Pam Am, opened up for me a world of opportunity that I found it hard to resist. STRIPLV: When were you first discovered? MOSS: At 14 by Sarah Doukas of Storm Model Agency, at JFK airport. It was a simple chance encounter, and it is one of those where you contemplate what had happened if we’d been on a different flight. The truth is most models are discovered through chance encounters. STRIPLV: You’ve spoken before about the apprehension you had for photoshoots. MOSS: Yes, there were many shoots in the early days where I felt terribly uncomfortable. I think everyone understands the lifespan of a model and the fact you will be starting so young, and that was the case with me, but even so, there were some photographers who wouldn’t shoot you unless there was a nude element. That was very common then and still is now. As a very young woman, that could be incredibly intimidating. STRIPLV: Yet getting the cover of The Face was a massive break for you.
MOSS: Yes, I was only 16 when I did that. It was 1990, and that really kicked everything off. I’d already been modeling for 18 months or so, but when you are on the cover of a national magazine, the whole thing just explodes. I did get teased mercilessly for it, though, as I was still at school. Corinne Day was the figure behind my early shoots for The Face and Levi’s. I was so nervous for those early shoots, and it all passes by in a blur, but the diversity that they gave me, from a music and culture mag to the biggest denim brand on the market and a leg-up into clothes, was really so valuable. We fell out along the line but came back together some years later, and everything was good. STRIPLV: You sound as though you had an idea of where you wanted to go and what you wanted to do from quite a young age? MOSS: No, the opposite is true. I didn’t have a plan. I was always one of those young people who was just happy to be exposed to new things and experiences – there wasn’t a plan or a route that I wanted to go down until the point where I just couldn’t fit all my engagements into the week. At that point, I knew I had to get serious and be a bit fussier, but until then, it was really just a case of taking the offers and seeing where they went. STRIPLV: Your relationship with the press has always been stop/start. Are you resigned to the fact it will always be that way? MOSS: It’s fair to say I was definitely naïve to the workings of the press, but I think everyone is when they first step out into a new world, and it doesn’t matter if that world is fashion or music or whatever. I was probably too trusting in interviews. STRIPLV: And you always hated that phrase “heroin chic,” right? MOSS: Yes, I always thought it was awful. There is no positive interpretation of that, and I certainly never felt one. At the end of the day, I was always thin, small, and no amount of eating the wrong things would put weight on me. I see models now who are similar to me, and sometimes the criticism they get is unfair because, up to a certain age at least, there are some of us who can just eat what we want without too any real consequences. That definitely changes in later life, though, as I found out after the birth of my daughter Lila. STRIPLV: Are you a confident or shy person at heart? MOSS: A lot of people who model do so because it is the ultimate paradox for a shy personality. It is the shyness that dares them to get up there and continue to push forward, and with the addictions that come with modeling, a desire to be photographed, and a desire to be desired, it is difficult not to return to that. And yes, there is a bit of arrogance that goes with the industry, but speaking personally, I’ve always tried to keep a level of respect in everything I’ve done. We are all “at work,” and I think you need to remember that. Everyone wants to get their part of the job done and go home!