From The Straits Times    |

Grace Coddington only employs assistants who like cats.

The creative director of US Vogue has a strict set of requirements when it comes to getting the right staff. She is renowned for her love of felines and needs people around her to feel the same about the animals.

“The most important final question I ask them is ‘Do you like cats?’ because if they don’t they’re not in my life,” she laughed to fashionista.com.

“I probably have every cat book, every cat picture, every cat postcard, every cat titbit. Some people sent me knitted coats for cats, hats for cats. Kitty Couture. There was a girl who worked at Martin Margiela that sent me a specially made hat for my cat called Pumpkin. It was really good but Pumpkin doesn’t like wearing it, that’s the problem.”

Grace has other things she looks for when recruiting. She likes her assistant to have a good sense of humour and doesn’t mind if they are university educated.

She also likes her workers to give their job their all, but doesn’t mind if they aren’t into designer labels.

“It’s not really how they dress. They don’t have to wear Prada or something like that. It’s how they put it together, because I’m going be asking them for help,” she said.

“I’m getting old, so I like to hear what young people love and if I’m doing it right. I really want advice from them. I look at all that.” – COVER MEDIA