Kate Moss is Named British Model of the Year

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Britain’s fashion industry named Kate Moss, the 32-year-old Model of the Year at last night’s British Fashion Awards - a prestigious award title bestowed on the “model who contributed most to the international fashion scene in the past year”, just over a year after a cocaine scandal threatened to derail her lucrative career that lost her millions in modelling contracts. Mother-of-one Moss did not attend the ceremony at London’s Victoria & Album Museum to collect her award but designer Vivienne Westwood accepted the prize on her behalf. A spokesperson for the British Fashion Council said: “Kate wasn’t here unfortunately. She couldn’t make it. There was a massive cheer and Westwood went up on stage to accept it on her behalf,” she said. Her award was presented by the singer, Bryan Ferry, one of a host of celebrities who joined 400 of Britain’s fashion industry leaders at the awards ceremony. Daily Mirror printed photographs of Moss apparently snorting large quantities of cocaine appeared last September. Surrounded by a media storm, Moss checked in to a drug rehabilitation programme facility in Arizona, America, in a bid to apologised and win back public favour. The model later took some time off from work and checked into rehab for treatment, after several fashion companies like with H&M, Chanel, Gloria Vanderbilt and Burberry, ended their associations with her. Since then, she has made a huge comeback, appearing frequently in fashion magazines and winning back contracts, even a £3million contract to design clothes for TopShop. Still, some say giving an award to someone whose career has been pocked by drug allegations sets a bad example. Kate Moss new title came barely 24 hours after she was criticised by the Colombian vice-president as one of a group of celebrities instrumental in fuelling his country’s cocaine wars. Francisco Santos said: “To me, it’s baffling that somebody who helps cause so much pain in Colombia is doing better than ever and winning more contracts than ever.” Moss has also been in the media glare because of her on-off relationship with British rocker Pete Doherty, a self-confessed drug addict who has been in and out of court over the past year. Recent pictures and newspaper reports suggest that the couple are back together, and there has even been speculation that they are engaged to be married, but spokesman for Doherty declined to comment on the rumours. Despite the predictions that the grainy tabloid photos and her relationship with Pete Doherty would destroy her career, in reality in the fashion world the only thing that can really destroy one’s career is physical deterioration, and as long as women continue to want to look like Moss, she can pretty much do what she likes. Still, to most of us, giving an award to someone whose career has been tainted by drug allegations sets a bad example. Recently another celebrity, George Michael was not only filmed but shown on National TV smoking what appeared to be cannabis, while saying ‘the stuff keeps him sane’. I a sure no charges will be brought against him. In fact he could end up selling more records!Other winners on the night included Giles Deacon, who received the Designer of the Year award, Marios Schwab for New Designer, Westwood for Red Carpet Designer and b Store for Shop of the Year. The ceremony attracted the cream of British fashion, who sat around sparkling, silver-topped tables, sipping pink champagne.