Our tool for managing your permission to our use of cookies is temporarily offline. Therefore some functionality is missing.
HERITAGE.
BOO! THE CLASSIC DESIGNER MINI KATE MOSS.
In 1999 Mini celebrated its 40th anniversary, and embarked on a series of special one-off collaborations with famous persons. One such fancy car was designed by no one less than the British supermodel Kate Moss, and all she asked for were some additional driving lessons.
Anniversaries are celebrated in style at MINI. Our 40th birthday resulted in some truly striking, unique cars. The impressive artist and musician David Bowie, meanwhile unfortunately deceased, and the great British fashion designer Paul Smith designed a MINI classic to their own taste. One of the creators of such art cars was also supermodel Kate Moss, who in her role as a car designer developed a black, spider web-like look. The results? A custom-made 1998 MINI, which made the creepy crawlies seem much more attractive.
Moss was unsurprisingly inspired by Halloween, specifically a lace “cobweb” dress she wore to a party in New York City in 1997. With regards to spider webs, according to Moss they "shine so wonderfully silver in the morning dew", which makes her choice of colours for this unique car even more understandable.
The fashion legend has a special relationship with MINI. In exchange for taking part in this special collaboration, she only asked for additional driving lessons. She also drove a Mini in her personal life, and would continue to do so after this collaboration, for a long time. Such is her liking for MINI, that she gave her own MINI Cooper as a gift to her daughter for her first car.
During the anniversary celebrations she claimed that MINI was a British design icon of the same stature as the red telephone box, the post box, and the Triumph bike. And if anyone would know anything about being style icon, it would be Kate Moss.
Cheekily, when asked what MINI “meant” to her, Kate Moss simply replied “short skirts.” On a more serious note, when asked why the cars design had lasted so long, her answer was that it is “functional, practical, economical and pleasing to the eye.” It’s a statement that is difficult to argue with, and we’ve strived to keep such characteristics key to our brand’s identity in the 20+ years since.
The MINI One-Off Series.
Our history is enriched by a long list of one-off cars. Whether they were created for movies, noble causes, or designed by celebrities to show the world the many faces of MINI’s personality, we love them all equally. That is why we wanted to look back at these cars, and share their unique stories.
Check out other cars in the series.
Mr. Bean's legendary, broom driven Mini.
The shiny Mini designed by David Bowie.
The unforgettable Mini motorhome, the shapeshifting Wildgoose.
The coolest, Batman-inspired pink Mini, the Mini Ice Cream Van.
