Kate Moss' Special Recognition Award: Her 25 Years At The Top Of British Fashion

Kate Moss is to be honoured with a special recognition award at the British Fashion Awards in London tonight, honouring her 25 years at the top of the fashion world as a model, muse and icon.

Since she burst onto the scene as a fresh faced youngster the Croyden born star has managed to keep herself relevant and ahead of the times in an industry obsessed with youth. With her 40th birthday approaching next month, it's hard to imagine the fashion industry without Moss.

Praised by designers, photographers and fellow models she's not just influenced the fashion world but culture as a whole, embodying a rock and roll spirit of the late Nineties like no other.

Kate is set to achieve an award tonight (Splash News)

Designer Donatella Versace commented: "From the beginning Kate was iconic; she never had to become a model."

As her fourth decade rolls around, doesn't appear to be losing any spark and will celebrate her birthday in true Moss style, with a naked cover shoot for the 60th anniversary cover of Playboy magazine - naturally.

To celebrate Moss' 25 years at the top check out the mind blowing facts that reveal just how the girl from Croyden became a star.

Kate Moss in numbers:

1988 - The year a 14 year-old Kate was discovered while at JFK airport with her parents by Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management. Speaking to Yahoo Australia about when she started out Kate insisted despite the fairytale stories, it wasn't a walk in the park.

Kate was discovered aged just 14 (Splash News)

"It wasn't easy," she recalls. "I didn't have it on a plate. When I could have been with my friends, just bunking off, I had to get on the Tube all over London, doing my eight castings a day, for four years. But I knew I had to work my arse off to do something with my life."

170 cm - Kate's height. For one of the most successful models of all time, she's also one of the smallest measuring up at just 5ft 7. It doesn't appear to have held her back though!

Kate in her usual style of denim shorts and boots - SplashNews

$1.2 million - The amount she was reportedly paid for her iconic 1992 Calvin Klein campaign in which she posed with Mark Whlaberg, then going by 'Marky Mark'. Opening up about the experience in an interview with Vanity Fair she said: “I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts."

"It didn’t feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die.”

Kate in one of her campaigns for British bran Burberry - WENN

300 - The numbers of covers Kate is estimated to have graced over her career including 33 for British Vogue, with her first being in 1993 when she was still a teen.

Kate on the cover of W Magazine - SplashNews

2002 - The year party loving Moss became a mum. Kate shocked the world when she revealed she was set to become a mum with fiance Jefferson Hack, the editor of Dazed & Confused magazine.

But Lila Grace was born and showed off a new side to the hard partying blonde. Gushing about her daughter in a recent interview she told Allure magazine: "She's got a desk in her room with a phone.... She puts a little outfit on and picks up the phone: 'Hello, Miranda Priestly's office. Can you hold? Patrick Demarchelier on the line!'

I died when I heard her do it. So funny. She doesn't have a clue who it is, but it's word for word. She wants to be Anne Hathaway."

Kate in the window of Topshop as she launches her first collection - WENN

15 mins - How quickly it took Kate's 2007 debut Topshop collection to sell out. The model announced earlier that year she was finally sharing her high street fashion secrets with the masses. It earnt the high street retailer an estimated £3 million in it's first week and the model went on to create six more collections. In 2013 it was confirmed she'd be returning to work again with the high street giant.

3.93 million - It's not just on the runway that Moss rakes in millions. A naked painting of a pregnant Moss by Lucian Feud sold for £3.93 million in 2005 at Christie's auction house.

The Lucian Feud painting that made £3.93 million (Splash News)

13 - The number of bridesmaids who accompanied Kate down the aisle when she finally married her Mr right, Jamie Hince of the band The Kills in 2011.They included Kate's god-daughter Iris Law, the middle daughter of BFF Sadie Frost and Jude Law as well as Stella and Ava Jones the daughters of Clash rocker Mick Jones.

Moss with her 13 bridesmaids - WENN

The blonde, who previously dated Johnny Depp, Pete Doherty and Russell Brand, looked stunning in a custom made John Galliano gown as she surprised everyone with her traditional ceremony on the Cotswolds.

5 - The number of custom made shoes with a blue sole Manolo Blahnik made for Kate on her wedding day, until he felt they were right. Famed for his red souled shoes, the French designer would only make them for Moss.

Kate and hubby Jamie Hince (Splash News)

$5.7 million - The amount, according to Forbes magazine Moss made last year, making her the fourth highest earning model on the planet. Despite approaching her 40th year it's clear Moss has still got it.

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