you were like the ideal wingman, weren t you? basically, without knowing what a wingman was! perfect. you moved to ladbroke grove, which is the area just north of notting hill. what was it like back then as a young man, and especially as a young black man? i mean, ladbroke grove is a very interesting area, notting hill generally. it s one of the few areas where you can have sort of the wealthiest of the wealthiest aristocrats next to rastafarians next to sort of immigrants, so i loved the energy. i loved the fact that, oh, my god, i really belonged. i started feeling like i belonged in england when we hit ladbroke grove. but i there was i remember the front line ladbroke grove itself was always the front line and the police were there every day, so you had to be so careful you know, we were stopped so many times, my brothers and i. it s remarkable how much the course of history, whether it s global or personal, can swing on chance meetings and for you, it was when you were on t
and i remember getting on the train and sort of heading to college and simon was staring at me and he was i remember bald, wearing denim and, you know, i was quite sheltered. i6. yeah, and at baker street, he got off and gave me his card and he said, my name is simon foxton. i m a stylist i didn t know what a stylist was but, call me. i d love to use you in a shoot. i remember getting home and poor mum. mum, i want to do this! she wasn t having it. she s like, the fashion industry is full of weird people i didn t know what she meant by weird at the time but as you do when you re young, i sort of forced her, and eventually she called simon. so, she called him, not you? well, she did. she wanted to vet him and make sure that he was. basically! wow. african mother. and sort of, yes, then i started sort of shooting with simon and nick knight as a model, and then i became a model with an agency while i was at college and really, that was my
perfect. you moved to ladbroke grove, which is the area just north of notting hill. what was it like back then as a young man, and especially as a young black man? i mean, ladbroke grove is a very interesting area, notting hill generally. it s one of the few areas where you can have sort of the wealthiest of the wealthiest aristocrats next to rastafarians next to sort of immigrants, so i loved the energy. i loved the fact that, oh, my god, i really belonged. i started feeling like i belonged in england when we hit ladbroke grove. but i there was i remember the front line ladbroke grove itself was always the front line and the police were there every day, so you had to be so careful you know, we were stopped so many times, my brothers and i. it s remarkable how much the course of history, whether it s global or personal, can swing on chance meetings and for you, it was when you were on the london underground, when a bloke called simon handed you a card. laughs.
icons. i just want to ask you about what makes them successful. let s start with kate moss. you knew her in the early days. i met kate when i was 16 and she was 1a and we went to a casting, and i remember she walked in and she literally charmed the whole room. the energy as well as the beauty. she s uniquely herself. and naomi s always been the same. she was always outspoken. naomi always thought she was going to be a star from when she was a baby and she is a star but, you know, they really are who they are authentic. you also were defining your own sexuality and being open about it. you had a girlfriend who was another model and then, simon foxton took you to more gay bars, like heaven. you describe this in the book very beautifully, if i may say where you talk about how, just as i had found myself in fashion, which is what i wanted to do in the world, now i was discovering more intimate terrain. i felt free and scared and excited. but how did coming from a ghanaian fa
what makes them successful. let s start with kate moss. you knew her in the early days. i met kate when i was 16 and she was 14 and we went to a casting, and i remember she walked in and she literally charmed the whole room. the energy as well as the beauty. she s uniquely herself. and naomi s always been the same. she was always outspoken. naomi always thought she was going to be a star from when she was a baby and she is a star but, you know, they really are who they are authentic. you also were defining your own sexuality and being open about it. you had a girlfriend who was another model and then, simon foxton took you to more gay bars, like heaven. you describe this in the book very beautifully, if i may say where you talk about how, just as i had found myself in fashion, which is what i wanted to do in the world, now i was discovering more intimate terrain. i felt free and scared and excited. but how did coming from a ghanaian family complicate coming out? my frien