In the late 1990s, a group of quirky, arthouse beauties emerged from the Flemish lowlands, each one cooler than the next. From this band of Belgians, Kim Peers, with her lead singer presence, became the darling of the hippest European fashion houses like YSL, Versace, and Louis Vuitton. Here as she re-emerges as a Marine Serre muse, two decades on from her breakthrough, she reflects on some of her most meaningful modeling moments.
Staying Power is an ongoing series celebrating models who have spent at least a decade working at the top of the industry. Through a selection of their most significant images, these household names and cult fashion favorites tell their stories.
Vogue Italia, January 2001
Photographed by Steven Meisel. Styling Lori Goldstein. Hair Orlando Pita. Makeup Pat McGrath.
One of my favorite covers. It was a 3-day shoot in a beautiful, big house in Manhattan, New York. I already shot a few times with this team of lovely and talented people. At that time Steven Meisel was the only photographer shooting the cover for Italian Vogue. I remember I was a little stressed about my damaged hair. Not long before this shoot, I did the campaign for Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford for which they bleached my hair. Orlando was so sweet to deliver a huge basket full of products on the shoot. We were listening to the Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground and the vibe made me dream away to an earlier New York in the ‘60s-‘70s, a very inspiring period. Working with Steven Meisel is such a joy: he has a very clear vision of what he wants and brings the best out of a model. He’s focused and works fast, without losing the coolness and effortlessness. We shot so many photos in 3 days and the result was 45 (!) pages in Italian Vogue.
A Magazine, 2001
Photographed by Ronald Stoops. Makeup by Inge Grognard.
This photograph was shot outside in the north of Antwerp, Belgium, not far from the photographer’s (Ronald Stoops) studio. Antwerp is my hometown and also the hometown of many Belgian fashion talents. From early on I loved working with Inge Grognard, who did the make-up, and her husband, Ronald Stoops.
To me, Inge Grognard is such a legend and is a big part of Belgian fashion history. Her avant-garde style and ideas about make-up are still very strong today. She worked with Martin Margiela from the beginning and is currently working for Balenciaga. And of course many others. The make-up for this shoot consisted of gold leaf around my face. After this shot in 2001 for A Magazine, we worked together many times. It feels very familiar. The photograph was printed on a poster and people sometimes tell me they had this poster for a long time hung up in their house.
Prada, 2002
Photographed by Steven Meisel. Styling Lori Goldstein. Hair Orlando Pita. Makeup Pat McGrath.
My memory takes me back to the late ‘90s when I was at the very start of modeling. I had just signed at my first modeling agency in Brussels, and I had a meeting with my agents. I took a magazine and showed them a campaign for Prada and told them that this was my goal. The reaction in their faces was obviously very hesitant and they said it’s quite difficult to get a job like this. Well… this was my first campaign for Prada and I ended up doing it twice (so far ;)). Photographer Steven Meisel decided on the day of the shoot to cut my hair. The short bangs were his idea and were cut by Orlando Pita. Which gives it a Jeanne d’Arc feeling with the styling, by Lori Goldstein. Make-up by the amazing Pat Mcgrath. Also, the posing was well pointed out by Steven Meisel. It’s simple but I learned a lot about posing from him. The image is timeless.
Interview, 2014
Photographed by Craig McDean. Styled by Karl Templer. Hair by Tomo Jidai. Makeup by Francelle Daly.
After a period between 2009 and 2014, when I had my two children, Linus and Anton, I was ready to come back to modeling and was eager to travel again. Not long after a first appearance at London fashion week at Christopher Kane‘s show, cast by Russell Marsh, I traveled to New York to shoot with Craig McDean for Interview Magazine. It was a Prada special, styled by Karl Templer. Make-up by Francelle Daly, who I’m now friends with. Tomo Jidai doing the hairstyling. It’s all you need to make a comeback and I found so much joy in modeling again.
Here I was shooting for Marine Serre with my family in a house somewhere in Belgium. In this picture, I’m with my boyfriend, Mathieu Vandekerckhove. We just finished a scene for the campaign in the bathtub. A very romantic moment. So that’s why our hair is wet. We are a composed family with 3 children. My bonus son, Wolf, and my sons, Linus and Anton, were also involved in the shoot. For quite a few seasons I’m one of Marine Serre’s muses. She often works with the same people and involves their families. Marine sees the value of family and people living together on the same planet, which I find a very cute aspect of this fashion brand. The stylist, Benoit Bethume, is also someone I’ve worked with several times. The casting director, William Lhoest, is also most of the time there. It’s fun to work with a most easy-going, super caring team.
Maison Ullens, 2021
Designer Haider Ackermann. Photographed by Ferry van der Nat.
Most recent and out now is this campaign for Maison Ullens by Haider Ackermann. The nicest part about it is that I got to see Haider again. We were good friends but lost contact. He designed my beautiful wedding dress in 2005. Seeing each other and hugging each other again was a bit emotional, in a good way. Haider has a very charming personality. It was the first time for me to work with a Dutch photographer, Ferry van der Nat. He’s funny and made me feel relaxed. I already knew his work before I came to the shoot and was excited to work with him. This portrait is my favorite. Probably there is some retouching on this photograph but I’m quite proud of how my skin looks. I love great skincare and get many compliments about how my skin looks and feels.
