Many models have changed the fashion industry. And many of their daughters have gone on to join them in it. But none have had the same revolutionary impact as Kristen and Lily McMenamy. Kristen’s first two i-D covers, in 1993 and 1996, both shot by Juergen Teller, destroyed the old template and created a totally new one; a new kind of beauty that was more about the sublime than the anodyne, and prioritised the majesty of poise over the dullness of perfection. Lily has taken that mantle and run with it, a worthy inheritor to the title of the world’s most interesting model. Since first appearing in i-D as a teenager, Lily has exuded an intelligence and charisma in her work as both model and artist, again reimagining the boundaries and role of the model in the creation of fashion imagery. Somehow they have never been lensed together before until Alasdair McLellan and Alice Goddard captured them for this special Anniversary Issue. In an i-D career spanning over 30 years then, for the first time, Kristen and Lily together…
Lily McMenamy
What’s your first memory of i-D?
Buying it at the cornershop as a teenager.
And your favourite?
My yoga video! It was amazing of i-D to trust me doing something other than modelling and give me a lot of creative control. It’s among the work I’m most proud of.
Describe your mum in four words?
Loving, attentive, fun, weirdo.
Which is the best of your i-D covers?
This one I bet.
What was it like finally shooting a story with your mum?
Surprisingly chill and rather poignant.
What was the fashion industry like when you shot your first i-D cover?
Pure spectacle.
And what’s it like now?
Pure spectacle but a bit more conscientious.
Tell us a funny story about your mum…
She just texted me suggesting our dogs Sami and Larry fill out these interviews…
What does family mean to you?
It’s your constellation; of living and dead, known and unknown, given and chosen…
What’s your obsession?
The Great British Bake Off.
What’s your motto?
The less I seek my source for some definitive the closer I am to fine!
This is the 40th Anniversary Issue of i-D, when did you last celebrate and what did you celebrate for?
I had the best birthday of my life during lockdown! My mum stuck photos of me all round the house and onto bananas…
Where do you see yourself in 40 years time?
Living my truth, honey.
Kristen McMenamy
What’s your first memory of i-D?
Seeing Grace Jones on the cover with her huge mouth. I wanted to be part of that.
And your favourite?
It has to be Karl’s cover. He’s a genius.
Describe Lily in four words?
Lily is magic dust.
Which is the best of your i-D covers?
The first. With Juergen.
What was it like finally shooting a story with Lily?
Weird but good and easy.
What makes you proud of Lily?
Her eccentricity. Her bravery.
What was the fashion industry like when you shot your first i-D cover
Crazy. Spontaneous. Exciting.
And what’s it like now?
More controlled, fearful, sober (but I still love it).
What does family mean to you?
Family is true love.
What’s your obsession?
Obviously fashion!
What’s your motto?
Try not to be afraid.
This is the 40th Anniversary Issue of i-D, when did you last celebrate and what did you celebrate for?
The dog’s birthday.
Where do you see yourself in 40 years time?
A very old woman in a Chanel suit and a chignon.
Credits
photography Alasdair McLellan
styling Alice Goddard
Hair Cyndia Harvey at Art Partner.
Make-up Hiromi Ueda at Art + Commerce using CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation Hydration And Longwear and CHANEL Le Lift Crème de Nuit.
Nail technician Lorraine Griffin using Sisley Hand Care.
Photography assistance Lex Kembery and Simon Mackinlay.
Styling assistance Hannah Hetherington and Lulu Bullock.
Hair assistance Annakay Simpson.
Make-up assistance Phoebe Taylor.
Production Ragi Dholakia Productions.
Casting director Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING.
Models Kristen McMenamy at Ford NY. Lily McMenamy at Next.