Journal

Happenings: Kate Moss - Unseen

Happenings: Kate Moss - Unseen

Kate Moss puts the ‘super’ in being a supermodel and that’s why we love her at Glasshouse. Instantly recognisable and still achingly cool into her 40’s, she has enjoyed decades of success with many of her shoots now considered iconic not only in the fashion industry, but in pop culture too. However, every icon has to start somewhere and fashion photographer Owen Scarbiena has recently revealed a previously unseen collection of photographs of a 14-year-old Kate Moss, as she hovered on the cusp of her generation-defining career.

The photographs all come from a single shoot that Scarbiena did with Kate in the summer of 1988, when she had just signed with Storm Models. They’re simple and minimalist in style, and brilliantly showcase the young model’s unique energy and ease in front of the camera - a trait for which she’d later become beloved to photographers, designers and fashion-lovers alike. The idea to exhibit the shots emerged when Scarbiena rediscovered the shoot when rooting through his archives and approached Hampstead’s Zebra One Gallery, who snapped up this piece of fashion history.

From the snaps, it’s obvious that Kate was destined for greatness - from a young age she was clearly a total natural, and these never-before-seen photographs reveal her early promise in a manner that is totally stripped back (and very up our street too). Clad in a baggy white shirt and without a scrap of make-up, this is the Kate we adore most - youthful, relaxed and fuss-free.

We can’t wait to get a load of the rest of the shoot, which, as Kate’s first ever professional work, plays a crucial part in British fashion history. Long live Kate!

All images by Owen Scarbiena
​Kate Moss: Unseen, by Owen Scarbiena runs for two weeks from 23rd February at Zebra One Gallery, NW3 1QW.