Kate Moss has called her debut collection for Zara the “perfect party capsule”. But when I tried on a few pieces, a couple of P-words came to mind: polyester and expensive.
When news first broke that the supermodel was teaming up with the Spanish brand for a party wear collection, I felt giddy with excitement. From the iconic sheer dress she wore in the 1990s to the gold lurex minidress she tripped in at Glastonbury, no one parties harder (and looks better while doing it) than Mossy.
This 40-piece clothing and accessories collection was designed by Moss, with Marta Ortega Pérez, president of Inditex (which owns Zara), and Katy England, Kate’s long-time collaborator and stylist. Key pieces included the beaded bra and ivory wrap jacket and the black minidress paired with a cape. There are also more wearable options: a ruffled floral dress and a velvet flared halterneck top.
But while the clothes look amazing in photos, in real life they’re less supermodel, more supermarket.
Just a day after the collection launched, when I walked into a Zara branch in London’s Sloane Square on Sunday, black minidresses (£149) were already spilling beads onto the store floor. The jacket (£119) was poorly sewn and was 100 per cent polyester.
The gold knit minidress, inspired by Kate’s Glasto version, was too short, almost see-through and was made of 90 percent polyester. The £49.99 price was the only clue that you hadn’t bought it from a market stall.
And those items seemed like a bargain compared to the leopard print leather jackets, which cost £699 each.
Although this collection was heavily hyped before its release, buyers have complained online. Some stylists have called it “disappointing” and “a big disappointment.” ‘£199 for this boring black trench coat?!’ moaned another.
Kate Wills says that although Kate Moss’s new Zara collection looks great in the photos, in reality they are less supermodel and more supermarket
Kate Moss calls her debut a “perfect party capsule,” but when Kate Wills tried on some pieces, the words P polyester and expensive came to mind.
“I was very excited about the range, as were many of my clients, but it flopped,” says Tatiana de Normann, stylist and personal shopper. ‘The shoes are outdated and the fabrics are shit for the price. These highly sought-after celebrity collaborations often come with a hefty price tag and then the fabrics used completely disappoint. Zara should be better!’
It’s a far cry from Kate’s famous Topshop collections. I was one of hundreds of skinny-jean-clad Kate fans who queued for hours outside Topshop for the first collection in 2007.
Almost 20 years later, I still wear three of the dresses I bought, although I’m considering selling them. A Kate Moss x Topshop feather-embellished LBD recently sold on eBay for £900. I bought mine for £130 in 2014.
Apparently, this new collection was Kate’s idea, and she even presented it to executives at Zara headquarters. The company’s founder, Amancio Ortega, 88, has historically opposed celebrity tie-ins, choosing to focus on a rapid revamp of runway-inspired designs.
The 40-piece collection includes this dress, which the 50-year-old model is flaunting.
But Armancio’s youngest daughter Marta, 40, seems to like the glamor of a high-end partnership and has recruited a series of “cool girls” to collaborate on Zara collections. In 2021, Charlotte Gainsbourg presented a denim collection and in 2022, Kaia Gerber curated a range of ’90s minimalism.
Kate Moss feels like the right person. But either Zara doesn’t have the same expert designers that Topshop had, or the costs of creating affordable, well-made clothing no longer add up.
When celebrity collaborations work, they’re winners: think Victoria Beckham’s collaboration with Mango in April. But if the quality isn’t there, customers don’t feel like celebrity wannabes, we just feel robbed.
Many of the Kate Moss x Zara pieces sold out in a matter of minutes online, but I wonder how many of them will end up being returned?
The surprising thing is that even though I know how disappointing the quality is, I still find myself hesitating over a black cape with tassels. Kate wore one to her 50th birthday in Paris. Maybe I could look glamorous and enigmatic too?
I stop when I realize I’m about to spend £79.99 for a black polyester sheet. Mossy may look good on a trash bag, but I’m not going to spend my hard-earned money on one, even if it has his name on it.