In the world of fashion, the Brits have a knack for turning out models with character ­ well-bred toffs such as Jasmine Guinness and Stella Tenant, supermodels who have worked their way out of Croydon (Kate) or Streatham (Naomi), and, most recently, rock'n'roll heiresses such as Leah Wood, Lizzie Jagger and Daisy Lowe, the last of whom is causing a real stir.

At her agency in Camden Town, London, 18-year-old Lowe looks totally confident and at ease. Her parents, Pearl Lowe (Britpop singer-turned-fashion-designer) and Gavin Rossdale (of Bush fame, now married to Gwen Stefani) plus stepfather Danny Goffey (the drummer in Supergrass) all give her impressive rock'n'roll credentials. There's no doubting that this kind of heritage may have helped to put her in the spotlight, but the talent scout who first noticed her in Camden, aged 15, didn't have a clue who her parents were.

Lowe is more of a cool indie chick than a primped and preened, stick-thin mannequin. But her fresh-faced beauty, huge almond eyes and Chrissie Hynde hair have sent well-respected photographers scrambling to capture her look.

Yet for all that, Lowe remains incredibly down-to-earth: by way of exercise, now that she's "almost a model", she plays football in the park with her friends, and she retains a refreshing excitement for what lies ahead.

"I did my first modelling job at two," recalls Lowe, "and a couple of other shoots aged 12 and 14. But it was never something I always wanted to do." To be spotted so young and then fast-tracked to campaigns and fashion shoots for major glossies by the age of 18 makes you wonder how she stays so grounded. "After a shoot, you move on to the next job so quickly, you don't really get a chance to think about it. I don't surround myself with fashion people. My boyfriend's a musician [in the Blondelles], and I still hang out with my school friends. School wasn't really for me. But all the same I freaked out when I left, as I had been doing really well [studying chemistry, maths, economics and art at A level]. But my best friend, who's still there and who's disgustingly intelligent, calls me saying, 'Have you read a book today? You've got to keep your mind active,' and I agree. I like using my brain and being creative. I read regularly, write as often as possible, and try to keep up with my art."

On top of all this, Lowe is a DJ, having recently played at the Calvin Klein fragrance launch, and she's designing a capsule diffusion line for her mother's fashion label (stocked at Liberty, Neiman Marcus and Saks). With so many strings to her bow, somehow it seems that modelling is unlikely to be her final chosen career, but for the moment she's enjoying what it has to offer.

"I've met such amazing creative people and seen places I would never normally have seen. My first proper shoot a year ago was in Savannah, Georgia, and I've just done a shoot for W magazine, in New Jersey."

With two recent shoots in Italian Vogue, plus glossy reportage shots of her 18th birthday party set to appear in British Vogue, it seems likely that this cool Brit may have to put her other activities on hold for a while to concentrate on her blossoming modelling career. "But that's OK," she says."I can do the rest later."

Times recommends

• Live chat: Thrifty ways to update your winter wardrobe
• Is anybody out there really listening?
• Nutrition Q&A: Will eating late make me fat?