Kate launches her last ever collection for the store. We reflect on her tenure, and ask—how did she fare?
It seems hard to believe that after four successful years and 14 collections, supermodel Kate Moss is bidding adieu to Topshop. To mark the end of her collaboration with the retailer, she launched her final collection at Topshop’s flagship store in London this week. And in true Kate-style, she looked effortlessly chic in a black sparkly jumpsuit with smoky eyes, a red lip and heavy blond bangs.Her designs first hit Topshop in May 2007, amidst much excitement, anticipation and a smattering of cynicism. Well, she was a model-come-designer after all, would her clothes be any good? Thousands of shoppers stormed the store and the consumers’ vote seemed to be a resounding yes. Her designs were undeniably ‘Kate’—bohemian, whimsical and with a strong 70s influence. Buyers felt they were not only getting a slice of history, but a slice of the elusive Ms Moss herself.
While the clothes looked fabulous on Kate, the same cannot be said of the average Topshop customer. For anyone larger than a size six (a UK 10), the pieces were often hard to wear and unflattering. Plus, much of it didn’t mix in well with the average wardrobe making it hard to combine Kate’s clothes with regular day-to-day items. But perhaps that was all part of the allure?
Whatever the case, Kate’s collections increased Topshop’s profits and gave the UK retailer a strong global presence. We’ll undoubtedly miss Kate and her cooler-than-thou clothes but if we could do it all over, we only wish she had designed more with us, the regular customer, in mind.
Check out Kate’s last collection for Topshop at topshop.com
