Katie Grand may be one of the most in-demand names in fashion, but the multifaceted stylist and magazine editor prefers to downplay the significance of her role within the industry by describing herself as something of a facilitator.
“I think I’m probably more interesting to the designers I work with because I’m out and about, meeting people,” offers Grand in her friendly Brummie twang (though born in Leeds, she grew up in the West Midlands). “I mean, both Marc [Jacobs] and Miuccia [Prada] often say, ‘Who’s happening?’, ‘What should we do?’, ‘What music should we use?’. So I think it’s probably the most useful job I have.”
Alongside all of this is her work behind the scenes, styling shows and campaigns for the likes of Jonathan Saunders, Giles Deacon, and new London names such as Amie Robertson, as well as for a roster of serious fashion heavyweights: Bottega Veneta, Marc Jacobs (for his own collections and while at Louis Vuitton) and Miuccia Prada for both the Prada and Miu Miu lines. “They tease me at Miu Miu,” she laughs. “They’ve got a nickname for me: Never Stops.”
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When it comes to weaknesses, Grand has just one: her wardrobe. This perpetually expanding archive of clothes has become so huge that it stretches across two floors, one of them dedicated to shoes and accessories alone. The self-confessed collector has been stashing pieces away since she was 15, and now this repository serves as her very own fashion reference library, every item a cherished piece of history. The Prada section is, by her own admission, “a bit tight”.
At the time of writing, it’s August – traditionally shut-down season in fashion. Grand, however, is really excited about a new idea and wants to get going on it before Fashion Week hits in September. After a big editorial meeting for LOVE, she’ll fy to New York to work with Marc Jacobs; she’ll sandwich in an appointment with Miuccia Prada in Milan, and some time with Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta, then catch up with emerging designer Matty Bovan before masterminding a party for Jonathan Saunders – now creative director at Diane von Furstenberg – during New York Fashion Week. There’s also the small matter of a LOVE party during London Fashion Week. Then it’s back to Milan and Paris for the Miu Miu show preparation, followed by the seasonal campaigns for various brands. And all this plate spinning happens in tandem with her role as LOVE’s editor-in-chief.
“I can’t think of anything worse than going into an office every day,” Grand muses. Luckily, she remains unfazed by the sheer breadth of her workload — in fact, she relishes every minute. The only part she’s not so keen on is the parties. “I’m still like a six-year-old throwing a birthday party, thinking no one will turn up,” she says. As a woman with the proven Midas touch, the more likely scenario is that she’d have to turn people away. This, after all, is the woman who Mrs Prada dubbed a driving force in fashion, and who, at last year’s Annual Fashion Media Awards, was described by Adriana Lima as the “Dr Dre, Pharrell Williams and Kanye of fashion”. The model presented Grand with the prestigious award for Best September Issue.
Grand has already earned her place in the annals of fashion as a pioneering creative, responsible for instigating the ’90s style magazine movement alongside photographer Rankin and fellow magazine editor Jefferson Hack. In 1991, the trio launched Dazed & Confused, a new fanzine-style title that would go on to revitalise the fashion landscape and define a generation. “When I met Rankin and Jefferson, it was like, ‘Oh, OK! I know what I’m doing now,’” Grand says. Little did she know that more than 20 years later they’d remain friends and still collaborate. “You never know what the turning point is going to be, but there will be one,” she says of this career cornerstone.
In 1999, Grand became fashion director of cult style magazine The Face, before founding her own publication, POP, the following year. Heralded as a ‘luxury super-glossy’, the fashion and art biannual set out to challenge and subvert the traditional notion of the fashion ‘glossy’, bringing with it Grand’s signature sense of zeitgeist, edge and fun. Then, in 2008, Condé Nast came calling, poaching Grand for new title LOVE, which burst onto newsstands with a naked Beth Ditto on its cover.
Did she ever think she would attain such lofty heights? “Arrogantly, yeah,” Grand admits. “I think that’s the thing: once the idea clicks in your brain of what you want to do with the rest of your life, you’re kind of fine. I do sit there and look at Miuccia and think, ‘I’m so lucky to be in this room with these amazing talented people.’ That’s the dream, I suppose.”
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