For years, Anine Bing dreamt of having British supermodel Kate Moss as the face of her Los Angeles-based contemporary cool girl line that has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 11 years.
That finally happened when Moss, a cool girl herself, signed on to be the face of the label’s fall brand campaign.
“I started mentioning to my team a couple of years ago that it would be amazing if Kate Moss would be the face of the brand,” Bing recalled, talking from her downtown L.A. headquarters. “Then we heard that her stylist wanted to pull some clothes from our collection. So, we knew there was some kind of interest there. That’s when we thought it might be possible.”
Bing reached out to Moss and after some consideration, the supermodel said yes after seeing last year’s successful campaign fashion shoots done by photographer Chris Colls with Russian model Irina Shayk representing the brand’s 2022 collection.
Bing was drawn to Moss for her rock ‘n’ roll vibe, which the brand is incorporating in its upcoming fall collection. “She comes with a little bit of an attitude and rock ‘n’ roll edge that I absolutely love. She embodies everything the brand stands for,” said Bing, who founded the business with her husband, Nicolai Nielsen, out of their Los Angeles garage in 2012. “When I started the brand 11 years ago, it was inspired by my own rock ‘n’ roll days. I used to be in a band called ‘Kill Your Darlings.’ Originally, when we started our brand, it was more of a timeless collection, but I am ready to bring back some rock ‘n’ roll, and there is nobody better than Kate Moss to do that.”
A look from the fall collection. Photo by Chris Colls. Courtesy of Anine Bing.
Moss flew from London to New York City for the fashion shoot again photographed by Colls. It was done in one day. “Kate is such a pro. She went in front of the camera and within five to 10 minutes, she had each look,” recalled Bing, who used her musical background to write the campaign’s soundtrack.
The fall collection is incorporating that rock ‘n’ roll look with skinny-leg stretch denim and leather pants. A hero piece is the Lydia jacket, which has a relaxed but elegant look crafted in an abstract cherry red plaid pattern.
For winter, the label will be launching the new Kate tote, inspired by the British supermodel’s influence on the brand’s vision throughout the years.
Anine Bing is also working on its retail lineup, said Olivia Gentin, the company’s chief operating officer. It currently has 21 stores with four more expected this fall and winter in Toronto, Tel Aviv, Boston and two in Paris. The stores, Gentin said, are crucial for brand building and help support the company’s growing e-commerce business.