Evening Standard - ES Magazine
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been”
She was once a byword for wild times. Now Kate Moss is finding real joy in a purer kind of living. Allow her to explain…
Really, when I started to take care of myself, things began to change. They say that self-care is part of self-love. That’s what we all need, that’s what I needed, to follow the Cosmoss.
Starting Cosmoss was about sharing some of the little tricks I’ve found to help me to look after myself. Everywhere I go someone’s got a trick that they’ll share with me and I’ve been collecting these — I guess this is about sharing them with others now. It’s really exciting, because once I started looking at what I’ve learned there’s so much more that I want to share.
My happy place was being on a dance floor, that was my absolute idea of happiness. I still love being on the dance floor, but now I want to wake up feeling fresh. I want to wake up and do Pilates or yoga. I love the mornings. Looking forward to getting up in the morning is quite new to me and I do get genuinely excited about it, that the day ahead of me is full of things to do. Now, work is such a pleasure compared to what it was, it makes it much easier.
Happiness is little things. Yesterday I picked a load of flowers from my garden for my stepfather’s birthday — sweet peas and dahlias. That makes me happy, being able to do small things for other people. Having the time and having a life where it’s not all about me. It does make a difference when people feel you’ve taken time out for them.
I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Part of this is being in control of my own career. Having my own agency, I can decide what I want to do and what I don’t, making my own choices. Working with people I love, having an amazing team around me. I love going into the [Kate Moss] Agency. They’re all so good
“The important thing about changing your lifestyle is that you don’t change yourself. I used to be a hedonist and that is still a part of my personality”
at what they do and I’m really happy that we’re helping other kids get through this business, which can be really harsh. We’re taking care of them and I feel confident that they’re not going to have difficult experiences. Developing talent, being creative, that makes me happy.
There’s been a lot of change this year. Lila [her daughter] left home, she’s moved to New York and that was hard but I got through it and I’m okay. You can only be in control of what you yourself are doing and having that bit more control has led to more personal happiness. I always follow my instincts, and I’ve learnt you can’t always control the outcome of situations.
Cosmoss wasn’t about me starting to think about wellness, because that was something I was already doing . When Pawel [Walicki], my business partner, approached me, I said to him, ‘This is what I’m doing, it’s what I want to be doing and that’s ultimately what I’m having most fun doing now.’ I don’t want to go on holiday and lie on a beach anymore. I want to go to those places where I do yoga, where I get healthy. That is fun for me now — I go with my girlfriends and we come back feeling amazing.
It’s important to get involved in new projects but also not too many, so you can give them the full care and attention they deserve. At the moment, it’s the agency and Cosmoss that’s keeping me busy. There are also good clients: Charlotte Tilbury, Diet Coke, these are all people I love working with. If something interesting comes along, then I’m open to new ideas. You have to be open to exploring new, exciting things.
The important thing about changing your lifestyle is that you don’t change yourself. I used to be a hedonist and that is still a part of my personality, that hasn’t gone. There was a feature in Harper’s Bazaar that said, ‘she’s blended hedonism and wellness’. I definitely like to have fun. It’s good to be multifaceted and we all have to recognise those different parts of our personality.
I still love to dance but I also like lying on the ground and looking at clouds, too. Making shapes out of them, staring at the
“Back in the day I sometimes wouldn’t bother to take my make-up off, now it’s vitamins and bed”
stars. The other evening I tripped over Archie [her dog] — he was in front of me — I landed, rolled over and just stared up at the sky and you could see the arch of the galaxy. Wow. It’s so important to look up. Otherwise you’ll miss the moon and the stars, especially in London. In the country you can’t help but look up. But taking in everything that’s happening here can be beautiful too. The other day I saw the most beautiful sunset. I walked the dogs from home to Hyde Park, through London as the sun was going down and I had to take a picture because it was as if the sky was on fire, it was insane. There is beauty everywhere, just take a moment to look up from your phone and you’ll start seeing it.
I don’t look back. I’ve reflected a lot on the past but now I like to be present, live in the now. I’m being present in the moment, seeing things, being mindful. I listen to mindfulness apps, I don’t remember exactly when I started meditating. I went away on a mindfulness holiday and everything was centred around it. When you’re eating, it’s about where the food comes from, how it grew, where did it grow? Mindfulness in walking, which the Japanese do a lot in the forests. I find mindfulness helps to make me more aware.
My morning routine is simple: wake up, put the kettle on and make my Dawn tea, it’s antioxidising and good for your digestion. I’ll go upstairs, get in the shower, use my Cosmoss cleanser, moisturiser, oil and spray — it’s my morning ritual. I then meditate or do a rolling ohm, which helps clear negative energy — it’s major. Then I use a red light that I lie under which is good for your skin. I like to start my day with things that help ground me or make me feel better about myself. I do yoga three times a week and Pilates too now.
I sleep so much better now I’m looking after myself. I go to bed early, for a start, as I’m exhausted because I’ve done so much during the day. My dream is to be in bed by 10.30, with a cup of my Dusk tea. And I do the whole ritual again with my Cosmoss products. Back in the day I sometimes wouldn’t bother to take my make-up off, now it’s vitamins and bed.
The most relaxing thing for me, when I’m at my happiest , is just pottering around my house or garden, having a bit of time for myself. It’s so important if I’ve had a full-on day. The house is often busy — from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to bed, there’s a million people to speak to — so having that quiet time alone I find relaxing.
I’m a team player. I love being part of the team at the agency. It’s the same on shoots, at the office and with Cosmoss — I want to be a part of something, I don’t want my name on something that I’m not directly involved with. You have to be authentic, really, that’s why it works.
The key to happiness is being comfortable in your own skin. Knowing that you’re doing the best you can for yourself. Doing things for other people, too, that really does make you happy.
My happy place is my very own Glastonbury in the country. I call it Glastonbury even though it’s just at my house. But I’ve got a firepit and a gypsy caravan and it’s the place that I’m 100 per cent at my happiest.
Cosmoss is available at cosmossbykatemoss. com. Instagram @cosmoss