I think models have a lot less power than they did in the '80s, when there were, like, only 10 supermodels who could dictate the rules, whereas now there's so many, and that changes the power dynamic and makes it a more insecure business.
Lily ColeI've always cared about issues, always thought through problems. I don't know how much that comes from my personality or my mum.
Lily ColeI usually have a lip balm in my bag and mascara as well. I don't really wear much make-up, but I like mascara because I've got fair colouring.
Lily ColeI don't believe there's an afterlife - but I don't believe there's an end to life. Consciousness goes beyond the bounds of your body.
Lily ColeAs the generalization goes about the art industry, people can be really challenging and thought-provoking in their thinking and questioning the status quo, and it's really important that the status quo can be questioned and that there are people doing that.
Lily ColeI have set up several businesses as social businesses, and I am a great believer that the power of business should be used for good.
Lily ColeI love beautiful things; I like having nice clothes, and I can appreciate why other people do - but I've also started to learn more about the impact of what we buy: how things are made, how much you buy and the quality of everything.
Lily ColeModelling, fashion and film have all encouraged me to learn more about issues and to feel empowered enough to do something about them.
Lily ColeI'm not sure if it's fair to call it a "fairy tale," but I really loved Mulan, the Disney film. It was my favorite. I guess it's not really a fairy tale, but you do get Eddie Murphy as a dragon.
Lily ColeI love modeling but also see it as a platform for the million other things I want to achieve and create in life.
Lily ColeThere's an inherent contradiction between appreciating the beauty of clothes and creativity and individuality, and the waste around the ideas of trends and seasons.
Lily ColeI was of the type who gets bullied rather than the one who does the bullying, which I'm glad about. I'd rather be that than a bully.
Lily ColeI think the media are so hypocritical a lot of the time in the way they chastise something just so that they can print it again.
Lily ColeI would like better colouration of my legs, like a little less of that English mottled purple thing that makes it necessary to wear tights all the time.
Lily ColeI paint - I tend more to abstraction - but not as much as I would like to because of time. I would love to do sculpture - I've toyed with the idea of fitting in a sculpture course.
Lily ColeI found going to school when I was modeling very grounding. It's really kept my perspective on bigger things in my life.
Lily ColeThe narrative of so many fairy tales are timeless in so many different cultures, and they have been since the dawn of man. They represent escapism, but they all feature themes that have such poignancy in a modern world.
Lily ColeI think subjectivity plays into everything. It's unavoidable; you couldn't avoid it if you tried. I think, potentially, a lot more commercial movies, it seems to be that the people making the films are trying to elicit the same reaction. I think a lot of the most interesting work in art and in films are often kind of polarized opinions and affect people in very different ways, which may be less successful commercially, but they elicit a dialogue that's quite interesting.
Lily ColeIt doesn't make me very happy to be on my computer all the time. I've never been drawn to that world.
Lily ColeDon't overpluck your eyebrows. A make-up artist told me this once, and I've always remembered it.
Lily ColeProduction chains, how consumers can drive change: all these things may seem at odds with fashion, but arguably, they're not.
Lily ColeI think a lot of the most interesting work in art and in films are often kind of polarized opinions and affect people in very different ways, which may be less successful commercially, but they elicit a dialogue that's quite interesting.
Lily ColeAmerica has had an influence on me, as has going out with a Cuban-American guy and having lots of American friends. But I am still fundamentally British and speak with a British accent and feel very English.
Lily ColeIt's hard to appreciate the importance of the rainforest because it seems so far away, but it's vital to the survival of the planet as we know it.
Lily ColeWhen I was younger, I definitely did face anti-ginger prejudice. As a child, all teasing hurts, whether it's because you're fat or a different race or have red hair. I had enough comments from a couple of people to make it a sore point.
Lily ColeI have to admit I've always had quite a complex relationship with modeling and with the idea of advertising: not always knowing what I'm advertising and selling.
Lily ColePeople do make assumptions about models. That's their issue, not mine. It doesn't bother me because I'm comfortable enough in my own skin - I know who I am.
Lily ColeI don't personally follow trends; I don't even like the idea of trends. I think it's kind of absurd that you have to change every six months, so I always try and buy things that hopefully I'll like forever, and resonate with me.
Lily ColeEvery time I have to try on a wig for work, I get excited about the colour; I've often thought about going for a platinum bob or also raven black, as it looks so great against pale skin. But I always end up being loyal to my red colour.
Lily ColeIm just a lipgloss, blush and mascara kind of girl. I like playing with a bright lipstick or a heavy eye... But not together!
Lily ColeI'll always try to follow my heart into things I love, and modelling is not something I'm dreaming of pursuing forever.
Lily ColeI really love any and all manifestations of art, really respect any kind of artistic impulse, whether it's paintings and sculptures or really good filmmaking or music. I really see the relationships between these different mediums as very fluid. I think you see that nowadays, in this postmodern context, there's much more use of different mediums in contemporary art. For me, if you're a creative person, you can choose to make a painting, you can choose to make a film.
Lily ColeThe need to protect the environment has emerged as an undeniably important priority for me.
Lily ColeIt's not that I don't believe in creativity and innovation and new ideas, and the creativity that comes with fashion, which I really respect. But one of my biggest concerns is just how cheap we expect everything to be.
Lily ColeI was like most teenagers. I wanted to look more conventional - you know, to just be the pretty girl in school.
Lily ColeI have made a living off the way I look, and I have really learnt to accept myself for being unusual.
Lily ColeI started modeling at 14. It's simple. You respond to what the photographer wants and wear other people's ideas. I got bored with it, though, so I went to university.
Lily ColeI think in some ways people kind of hate it, but most models recognize that it's a pretty easy job to make a lot of money at in a relatively short time, and you get to travel the world and meet a lot of interesting people. There are extreme highs and extreme lows. I think if it were as clear-cut as "models hate it," then they wouldn't do it. I really enjoyed a lot of the actual aspects of it, but not enough to make it my primary job. It can be quite empty, which is why I pursued other things.
Lily ColeMarilyn Monroe and Vivienne Leigh are real icons of mine. In terms of visual culture, they are both so iconic. There weren't any paparazzi shots of them falling out of taxis, so they will always look so incredible.
Lily ColeI guess I try and learn all the time from every experience in life, so my thinking is a hybrid of everything. I'd have to attribute some of that to my work in the fashion industry - in some obscure way.
Lily ColeI part-own a bookshop for some strange coincidence of reasons, and it is one of the best things I part-own in my life, or own in my life. I do not know, it just feels great.
Lily ColeActing is something I've done since I was six years old, performing for my mum and my family in the living room, and I do it because my heart's in it.
Lily Cole