Kate Moss pulled out of a major Tate Britain exhibition celebrating the decade that made her a global fashion icon after reportedly becoming concerned she would be mobbed on arrival.

The 52-year-old supermodel had been expected at the opening event for The 90s: Art and Fashion in London on Tuesday (05.10.26) night, where photographs and clothes documenting her extraordinary rise feature prominently.

But Kate never appeared on the red carpet, despite organisers and photographers waiting for her, with sources claiming she changed her plans after hearing about the attention other guests had received.

The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday and runs until 14 February 2027.

A source has now told the Daily Mail about her no-show: "Bosses didn't discover Kate had pulled out until 10pm, when the event had finished.

"She'd heard that guests like Donatella Versace had been swarmed by fans when they arrived, and she only ended up staying for an hour before leaving at 9.30pm.

"Kate didn't want to be bombarded in the same way and so she decided to duck out."

Representatives for Kate were contacted by the Mail for comment.

The exhibition, curated by former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, 54, examines the collision of fashion, photography, music and art that transformed British culture during the 1990s, with Kate one of its most recognisable figures.

Among its defining images is Juergen Teller's 1998 portrait Young Pink Kate, London, showing the model with pink hair at her London home.

The photograph is being used to promote the exhibition and appears on the cover of one edition of its accompanying book.

Kate previously described the portrait in her book Kate as "the real me".

She said: "Because it is just us having a laugh in my bed. There wasn't a hair or make-up artist or anything."

The show also revisits some of the clothes that helped establish Kate as one of the defining faces of 1990s fashion.

They include pieces from Vivienne Westwood's Anglomania Autumn/Winter 1993 collection and the angel dress from John Galliano's Spring/Summer 1994 Princess Lucretia collection.

Visitors are also confronted with an image of Kate wearing the celebrated transparent Liz Bruce "naked dress", which she wore to the Elite Model Agency Look of the Year party in London in 1993.

The appearance became one of the enduring images of Kate's early career, which began when she was discovered as a teenager and accelerated through her work with photographer Corinne Day and her campaigns for Calvin Klein.

Kate subsequently became one of the world's most famous models, appearing on scores of Vogue covers and working with fashion houses including Chanel, Dior, Versace, Burberry, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.

Her image is central to Tate Britain's account of a period in which the boundaries between fashion and fine art increasingly overlapped.

The exhibition also features photography by Juergen Teller, David Sims and the late Corinne Day alongside work by Steve McQueen, 56, Damien Hirst, 61, Sarah Lucas, 63, and Yinka Shonibare, 64.

Designs from the late Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen and the work of John Galliano, 65, also feature, with Edward describing the exhibition as an exploration of the cultural forces that reshaped Britain during the decade.

Kate's absence came only days after she returned to the fashion spotlight in Paris.

She attended the Tom Ford Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week last week and was also among guests at Saint Laurent's Fashion Week celebrations.

The appearances coincided with the 24th birthday of her daughter Lila Moss, who has followed Kate into modelling and has established her own international career on the catwalk.

Kate was subsequently seen returning to the Ritz Paris after the Saint Laurent event.