I 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 Cole
Life is shining a light through a magnifying glass on me, looking for me to stumble. I think that's my biggest fear.
It'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.
I 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.
The average Londoner knows just one neighbour. I travel a lot, and I'm always surprised by the strong sense of community in some countries. We've lost something fundamentally human, and we don't even realise it.
I'm just a lipgloss, blush and mascara kind of girl. I like playing with a bright lipstick or a heavy eye... But not together!
Production chains, how consumers can drive change: all these things may seem at odds with fashion, but arguably, they're not.
I 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.
Talent is crucial. It needs to be driven by motivation, but blind ambition isn't the key.
I found going to school when I was modeling very grounding. It's really kept my perspective on bigger things in my life.
I always used to love couture because it was more theatrical than the runways. The runways always felt more like part of the machine.
I have made a living off the way I look, and I have really learnt to accept myself for being unusual.
Acting 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.
There are so many great, great vintage clothes to find; there's a whole territory unexplored there.
I 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.
I 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.
It doesn't make me very happy to be on my computer all the time. I've never been drawn to that world.
I 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.
As users of the Internet, we all have a role to play in defining what we want it to be.
People 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.
I 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.
Don't overpluck your eyebrows. A make-up artist told me this once, and I've always remembered it.
With acting, if I'm any good at it, my modeling career would never be a hindrance but would rather be a help. And if I'm not, then it doesn't really matter.
Modelling, fashion and film have all encouraged me to learn more about issues and to feel empowered enough to do something about them.
The need to protect the environment has emerged as an undeniably important priority for me.
I love yoga. I don't do it as much as I'd like to, but I feel wonderful when I do.
I've always gone after fears and tried to stifle them by doing them. It is daunting, but it's more rewarding.
I don't think of myself as a role model for others, but I like to live my life by my own integrity. So, in that sense, I might be a positive influence. I do believe you should get over your insecurities and just try to be the best you can.
I was like most teenagers. I wanted to look more conventional - you know, to just be the pretty girl in school.
I 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.
I kind of see clothes a bit like role-playing, depending what mood I'm in.
It was a scandal when I did French 'Playboy' in 2008, though I was never actually nude in it. I think it's really funny that I'll have a cover of 'Playboy' to show my grandkids.
The 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.
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.
I have set up several businesses as social businesses, and I am a great believer that the power of business should be used for good.
I love modeling but also see it as a platform for the million other things I want to achieve and create in life.
I 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.
Giving triggers social cohesion. It's also the basis for an economy not based on money.
Every 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.
When 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.
I've always cared about issues, always thought through problems. I don't know how much that comes from my personality or my mum.
I 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.
If I'm anywhere close to where I can hike or swim, that's my favourite thing to do.
There is a degree of role-playing in modeling, for sure, and you're also in a high-profile job - there are lots of similarities for sure. But when I'm acting, I've got to try and be present, and I've got to be emotionally committed to a character, both physically and intellectually.
America 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.
I'll always try to follow my heart into things I love, and modelling is not something I'm dreaming of pursuing forever.
There's an inherent contradiction between appreciating the beauty of clothes and creativity and individuality, and the waste around the ideas of trends and seasons.
I 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.
In British culture, redheads get teased at school. But I've grown up enough to realize I love my hair.
Marilyn 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.