As one of Britain's most prominent and wealthy supermodels, Kate Moss has spent more than half her life in the public eye.

Since her discovery in JFK airport aged fourteen by the founder of Storm Model Management Sarah Doukas, she has proved instrumental in the success of many key trends over the last twenty years.

The words 'boho', 'grunge' and 'waif' can't be spoken without thinking of iconic images of Moss - the bedhead hair and layers of chiffon at Glastonbury. The 1992 Calvin Klein advert. The see-through slip dress at the Elite Model Agency Look of the Year party: all have cemented her place in fashion's illustrious hall of fame.

Perhaps the enduring appeal of Moss lies in the outfits and key pieces she adopts and which millions of women go on to replicate (furry coats, pirate-style boots and minimal structuring have all become mainstream thanks to Kate).

She is rumoured to be spending today, her fortieth birthday, on a private island owned by Richard Branson with celebrity friends including Peaches Geldof and Sadie Frost plus husband Jamie Hince.

Always enigmatic, rarely quoted and forever luminous - here's to another forty years of Kate Moss.