Archive · 10 Sep 2026
How Calvin Klein’s Campaign Made Kate Moss a Supermodel
Kate Moss was a young model when Calvin Klein considered her for a campaign.
Photographer Patrick Demarchelier suggested her name.
Calvin Klein was not immediately sure she was the right choice.
Carolyn Bessette looked at Moss’s headshot and thought her simple, waif-like appearance could attract many different fantasies.
Klein eventually agreed to use Moss.
Moss then posed in the British Virgin Islands with her boyfriend, photographer Mario Sorrenti.
The pictures used simple designs and strong real emotions.
After the advertisements appeared, Moss became famous very quickly.
Photographer Patrick Demarchelier suggested Kate Moss for a Calvin Klein campaign.
Calvin Klein initially hesitated before approving Moss after reviewing her headshot.
Employee Carolyn Bessette recognized Moss’s waif-like appeal and supported her selection.
Moss was photographed in the British Virgin Islands with her then-boyfriend, Mario Sorrenti.
The campaign’s minimalist, emotionally realistic imagery helped turn Moss into an overnight sensation.
- Who
- Kate Moss, Calvin Klein, photographer Mario Sorrenti, photographer Patrick Demarchelier, and Carolyn Bessette.
- What
- A Calvin Klein advertising campaign that helped launch Kate Moss as a major model and symbol of 1990s minimalism.
- When
- A specific date is not provided; the article places the campaign within the 1990s.
- Where
- The campaign was shot in the British Virgin Islands, with the resulting images appearing on billboards and in magazines.
- Why
- Calvin Klein wanted imagery built around the brand’s minimalism and emotional realism; the campaign’s success made Moss an overnight sensation.
- Model
- Kate Moss
- Brand
- Calvin Klein
- Photographer suggestion
- Patrick Demarchelier recommended Moss for consideration.
- Campaign photographer
- Mario Sorrenti, who was then Moss’s boyfriend.
- Location
- British Virgin Islands
- Visual style
- Minimalism combined with emotionally realistic, erotic imagery.
- Outcome
- Moss moved from being another model to an overnight sensation.