Susie Cave ( Bick; born 16 September 1966) is an English fashion designer, entrepreneur, and former model and occasional actress. She co-founded the fashion label The Vampire's Wife.
Early life
Susie Bick was born in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, England, to a diplomat father.
She spent her childhood in
Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
and
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, and ran away from boarding school at age 14.
[
]
Modelling career
Bick was discovered by photographer Steven Meisel
Steven Meisel (born June 5, 1954) is an American fashion photographer, who obtained popularity and critical acclaim with his work in '' Vogue'' and '' Vogue Italia'' as well as his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book, '' Sex''. He is ...
on a flight to New York at age 14.[
She modelled for ]Yohji Yamamoto
is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. Considered a master tailor alongside those such as Madeleine Vionnet, he is known for his avant-garde tailoring featuring Japanese design aesthetics.
Yamamoto has won notable awards fo ...
, Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
, Nina Ricci, Tuscany perfume, Versace
Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...
and Yves Saint Laurent.[ She appeared on the covers of ''French Glamour'', '']Harper's & Queen
''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
'', ''Elle
Elle may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication
** Elle Style Awards
* Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition
* Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film
* ''Elle: ...
UK'', and ''i-D
''i-D'' is a British biannual magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, film and youth culture. The magazine was launched in 1980 by Terry Jones, originally as a hand-stapled fanzine it has since evolved into a glossy publication.
In 2023 the ...
''.[ She modelled for ]Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ''Sky Arts'' ranked her the ...
for ten years.[
She was the cover model on the Damned's 1985 album '']Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria (), alternatively fantasmagorie and/or fantasmagoria, was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images – such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts – typicall ...
'', photographed by Bob Carlos Clarke
Robert Carlos Clarke (24 June 1950 – 25 March 2006) was a British-Irish photographer who made Erotic photography, erotic images of women as well as documentary, portrait, and commercial photography.
Carlos Clarke produced six books during ...
.
Bick gave up her modelling career when she met Nick Cave in 1997.[
]
The Vampire's Wife
In 2014, Cave co-founded the fashion label The Vampire's Wife with Alex Adamson.Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ' ...
''.[ The Vampire's Wife has been described as a "cult favourite" label.]Catherine, Princess of Wales
Catherine, Princess of Wales (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982), is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne.
Born in Reading, Catherine grew ...
, Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Ch ...
, Princess Sofia, Duchess of Varmland, Kate Moss
Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...
, Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley ( ; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters, particularly Historical drama, period dramas, she has received List of awards and no ...
, , Maya Rudolph
Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...
,[ ]Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller (born 28 December 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian '' Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli Cale ...
,[ ]Ruth Negga
Ruth Negga ( ; born 4 May 1981) is an Irish actress known for her roles in the AMC television series ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and the film '' Loving'' (2016). For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the latter, Negga received a nomination for ...
, Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989) and has since starred in several film and television productions. She has received several awar ...
, Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is an English model and television personality. Chung pursued a modelling career as a teenager after being scouted by a modelling agency at the Reading Festival. She has walked for brands such as Vivienne Westw ...
, Daisy Lowe
Daisy Rebecca Lowe (born 27 January 1989) is an English fashion model who has modelled for editorial photo shoots, commercial advertising campaigns and fashion shows. She is the daughter of Pearl Lowe, the singer-songwriter turned textile and ...
, Jenna Coleman
Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986) is an English actress. She began her television career by playing Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2005 to 2009, followed by a recurring role in the BBC school-based drama series ''Wat ...
, Thandiwe Newton
Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton ( ), is a British actress. She has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and a BAFTA Award, as well as nominations for two Golden Globe ...
, Zawe Ashton
Zawedde Emma Ashton (; born 25 July 1984) is a British actress and playwright. She is best known for her roles in the comedy dramas ''Fresh Meat (TV series), Fresh Meat'' and ''Not Safe for Work (TV series), Not Safe for Work'', the Netflix ho ...
, Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...
, Margot Robbie
Margot Elise Robbie ( ; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Her work includes both blockbuster and independent films, and her accolades include nominations for three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and six BAFT ...
, Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom ''Friends'' from 1994 to 2004, which earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Scr ...
, and Jodie Comer
Jodie Marie Comer ( ; born 11 March 1993) is an English actress of screen and stage. She began her career in an episode of '' The Royal Today'' in 2008. Comer gained recognition for appearing in the series ''My Mad Fat Diary'' (2013–2015) an ...
.
In 2024, the brand closed, after the collapse of Matchesfashion, one of their largest stockists.
Personal life
Bick met Australian musician Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
in 1997; they married in 1999.[ Their twin sons, Arthur and ]Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
, were born in London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 2000 and raised in Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
. She appeared on the cover of Cave's 2013 album ''Push the Sky Away
''Push the Sky Away'' is the fifteenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 18 February 2013 on the band's own label Bad Seed Ltd. Recorded at La Fabrique in southern France, with producer Nick La ...
''.
On 14 July 2015, when he was 15 years old, Arthur Cave fell from a cliff at Ovingdean
Ovingdean is a small, formerly agricultural village and former civil parish on the eastern edge of the city of Brighton and Hove in the ceremonial county East Sussex, England. In 1921 the parish had a population of 476. On 1 April 1928 the pari ...
, near Brighton, and died from his injuries at Royal Sussex County Hospital
The Royal Sussex County Hospital is an acute teaching hospital in Brighton, England. Together with the Princess Royal Hospital, it is administered by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The services provided at the hospital inc ...
later that day. An inquest found that Arthur had taken LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
before the fall and the coroner ruled his death was an accident. The effect of Arthur's death on the Cave family was explored in the 2016 documentary film ''One More Time with Feeling
''One More Time with Feeling'' is a 2016 British documentary film directed by Andrew Dominik. It documents the recording of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' sixteenth studio album, '' Skeleton Tree'', in the aftermath of the death of Nick Cave's 15 ...
''.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cave, Susie
1966 births
English businesspeople
English female models
English fashion designers
English women in business
Living people
Models from Cheshire
English women fashion designers