November 14, 2014 |
Model/actress/designer
“Clothes to me are a form of empowerment,” says Ross, in all her floor-length Tom Ford splendour.
Which is perhaps why, while getting down on all fours in the dazzling zebra-print number and crawling across her Los Angeles garden, there’s not the slightest hint of “What will the neighbours think?” about her expression.
Over coffee a few weeks later in London, in her naturally more unassuming mode, she describes how she loves that a statement piece can be a kind of armour. “Putting on a bold two-piece suit can be exactly that if you need it to be. It’s all about expressing how you feel in that moment. Ever since I can remember I’ve foraged in flea markets, as it’s something my mother always loved to do. Finding bits and bobs and just putting everything together as an expression of who you are builds your confidence. That’s part of what I’ve always loved about modelling and being a performer. Trying on someone else for a day and never knowing who it will be. I did start it all quite early, but I wasn’t overexposed in that child-star way. It was just a few smaller things. For my first story for i-D I was eight years old, but it just felt like an amazing game of dressing up, and so I registered it simply as this fun form of expression.”
Los Angeles seems to have played a pivotal role in Ross’s lifelong creativity. She was born and raised in the city until the age of seven. It’s where her parents ran the famous Flipper’s Roller Disco Boogie Lounge, which was frequented by stars of the era and even featured in an episode of Charlie’s Angels. Now, her subsequent return to raise a family seems to have opened up a whole new playground of inspiration. “With cities like London, Paris or New York, it’s like you step out and you’re straightaway involved in a whirlwind – some sort of scene. With Los Angeles it’s absolutely the opposite and you’re basically at one with nature. You really have to go to some uncomfortable places sometimes to feel cool, or part of something. You have to drive for starters, and be a little adventurous.” During her adventures Ross met Ali Fatourechi, the founder and creative director of Genetic Denim, for whom she has designed an exclusive capsule collection available from Selfridges and Net-A-Porter. The line is specifically composed of pieces that will lend well to customers putting their own spin on things. “I like to think there’s something in there for a lot of people,” says Ross. “I’m so excited to see how each piece will be made someone’s own. You can wear them all together, which looks pretty fucking hot, or you can break it up.”
Photographer: Maria Ziegelboeck
By Vincent Levy
