"Natalie has one of the most respected reputations in the industry, with agents in Milan, Paris, Brazil ... everywhere," says Kenneth Loo, Q's Media Director. "Everyone knows who she is." The proof is in the singular success of the agency over the past five years, and in the discoveries Natalie continues to bring to the board — standout men like Peter De Vries. And it's reinforced by searching the Internet under Natalie's name — what you find is a list of links to various online model interviews, and in each interview a model is crediting Natalie Kates with their success.

When I mentioned this to Kenneth he wasn't at all surprised: "It's funny, because this was her first job with an agency — she didn't train to become a booker. And some people outside the agency even think the boys have a fear of Natalie. They're not afraid of her; they all love her to death. In fact I think they're far more focused on what to buy her for Christmas. (laughs) Sure, I've seen her have brawls with the guys sometimes, but they always come out of it respecting her and we've very rarely had a guy leave. I think she's incredible."

Aside from having two of the best eyes for beauty in the business, Natalie Kates is beautiful herself, elegantly so. "My mother is Vietnamese," she says. "and my father an Irish-American soldier. So I was raised in Austin, Texas from the time I was three until I was about twenty-one. Then I moved to New York twelve years ago."

What was Austin like for you growing up?

Culturally it was great because there's such a great music scene there.

Music's important to you?

Yes, I really love it.

What?

Anything — from new wave to electronica to disco to hip-hop. I love it all. I really love music.

What were your interests in school?

I think I've been artistically inclined my whole life. The truth is that my family wasn't very rich, and of course in the 1980s everybody seemed to have their nice little Lacoste shirts and their Jordache jeans. So thank heaven for the New Wave scene in Austin, where you could be totally unique and be an individual. I always took my tiny clothing allowance and went to the craft stores, the Goodwills and Salvation Army and made my own clothes. I'd rip them apart, re-sew them, throw paint on them, cover them in safety pins. I finally felt like I fit in a little bit when that scene arose.

I remember when I was young, getting up at 6am on Sunday mornings watching Style on CNN with Elsa Clench. My parents were like: "What are you doing?" And I'd respond, as if it was self-evident: "I'm watching Iman." They'd ask me "Who's that?" I couldn't believe they didn't know who Iman and Jerry Hall were. So I was always instinctively very aware of models, fashion and designers, even at a very young age. At a time before it became part of the popular culture.