Cashmere Campers

The Times looks at the rise in popularity of the motorhome in the UK driven by the association of Jay Kay of Jamiroquai and Kate Moss:

Now revamped modern vehicles are attracting a new generation of “cashmere campers” who crave the independence and flexibility of the gypsy lifestyle but with the luxury and style of a five-star designer hotel…

So what gave the motorhome its new mojo? One factor is hippie festivals such as Glastonbury that have become as much a part of “the season” as Ascot and Glyndebourne. Catering wagons at the festival sell Covent Garden soups, organic ostrich burgers and chilled Pimm’s and the discerning audiences aren’t prepared to put up with camping in a sea of mud.

Kate Moss, supermodel and trendsetter, took an Infinity motorhome to Glastonbury in 2004 and, as everything Moss touches turns to cool, it wasn’t long before aspirational young couples were championing the motorhome as their ticket to hassle-free camping.

Other celebrity converts include the actor Will Smith, musicians Lenny Kravitz and Robbie Williams, racing driver Jenson Button, foodies Jamie and Jools Oliver with their souped-up 1960s VW Camper, and Jay Kay, lead singer with Jamiroquai, who has just bought a 3 litre turbodiesel Knaus C-Liner with alloy wheels, futuristic metallic bodywork, ambient lighting and leather armchairs, worth £60,000.

How the motorhome changed gear and drove up cool street – Features – Times Online