Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992)[4] is an American fashion model. She was a
Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 until 2015 when she resigned to study at
New York University. By 2019, Kloss had appeared on 40 international Vogue covers.
Karlie Elizabeth Kloss was born on August 3, 1992, in
Chicago,
Illinois,[4] to Tracy, a freelance director, and Kurt Kloss, an emergency physician.[5] She has three sisters:[6] twin younger sisters Kimberly and Kariann, and one older sister Kristine.[7] She moved to
St. Louis with her family in 1994.[4] In 2013, the family moved to
Goshen, New York to support her modeling career.[5]
Kloss was discovered at a local benefit runway show in 2005.[11] In 2006, at the age of 14, she posed for a cover and editorial shoot for the June issue of Scene Magazine in Chicago with photographer David Leslie Anthony, in an editorial spread titled "Almost Famous".[12]Elite Model Management Chicago[a] then forwarded these tear sheets to their New York office, who signed her.[14]
Kloss found herself in the middle of a legal dispute when Elite Model Management, believed they were responsible for launching her career sued Next Management for allegedly stealing her away by offering 'improper compensation' to sign.[16] The case was eventually settled out of court.[23] After four years of being represented by Next Management, Kloss signed with
IMG Models (also leaving Mother Model Management in St. Louis).[24][25]Vogue Paris declared her one of the "top 30 models of the 2000s" in 2009.[26][27]
Kloss has appeared in editorials for American and Korean W, American Elle, Allure, i-D, French and Japanese Numéro, Vanity Fair, Dazed & Confused; and American, Australian, Italian, French, British, Korean, German, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese, Teen, and Latin American editions of Vogue magazine.[citation needed] She notably appeared on 12 international Vogue covers, including Vogue Italia, in a five-year span.[28] She appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue, alongside
Chanel Iman and
Ali Michael in February 2008,[28] and by herself in May 2010.[29]
Kloss made her first venture into television when she appeared in the Gossip Girl episode "
Belles de Jour" as herself.[30] She became a muse for fashion designer
John Galliano, and has appeared in Dior and John Galliano campaigns. She opened both shows, Christian Dior Haute Couture and Dior resort for spring/summer 2010. In the spring/summer 2011 season, she opened ten shows and closed eight.[citation needed]
2011–present: Recognition and success
Kloss's runway walk, one of the most unusual, is often described as powerful.[31] Her height, long legs, and precise placement of one foot perfectly in front of the other in fluid motion distinguish her catwalk stride, usually garnished with a serious, sultry expression.[32] She has described her runway walk as a "moody gait".[33]
Kloss renewed her contract with
Christian Dior for the third season in a row in 2011.[34] Photographer Gabrielle Revere was commissioned by Life magazine to photograph Karlie Kloss for the cover of a special print issue handed out during New York Fashion Week in September 2011.[35][36][37] The photo story inside the issue was photographed during the summer of 2011, and shows her at the couture shows in Paris, in New York City, and in St. Louis, her hometown.[36][38] The same year, she made her debut in the
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[39]
In 2012, Kloss was featured on the September covers of British Vogue,[40]Japanese Vogue,[41]Harper's Bazaar Russia,[42][43] and Numéro.[44] She appeared in the campaign ads of
Juicy Couture,[45] Stefanel,[46]Elie Saab,[47] and Jean Paul Gaultier.[48][49] She co-hosted the revival of the
MTV series House of Style with fellow model
Joan Smalls.[50] She also appeared in that year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but one of her outfits was cut out of the broadcast after appearing in a Native American
headdress that was deemed offensive.[51] Just before the Victoria's Secret Fashion in 2012, Kloss had her long hair cut into a bob which is famously called the "Karlie".[52][53]
In 2013, Kloss was the face of Donna Karan, Lacoste, and Lanvin campaigns. Kloss worked with
Victoria's Secret on their 2013 summer swimwear video.[54] She was also the red carpet host of the
2013 MTV Movie Awards pre-show.[55] In April, Kloss starred alongside
Daria Strokous,
Monika Jagaciak, and
Iris Strubegger in Louis Vuitton's Alma bag campaign.[56][57] In 2013, Kloss was named as one of the new ambassadors for Coach, Inc. and starred in the accessory maker's fall 2013 campaign.[58]
In May 2016, Kloss was named the new face of Swarovski, replacing fellow Victoria's Secret alumna
Miranda Kerr, for a two-year contract.[72][73] In April 2017, she appeared as a correspondent on the
Netflix series Bill Nye Saves the World.[74] Kloss was featured in Vogue's March 2017 issue.[75] The spread was criticized by some as a form of
cultural appropriation as she appeared styled as a
geisha.[75][76] She later posted a public apology.[77] In Fall 2017, Kloss announced her TV show, Movie Night with Karlie Kloss, airing on
Freeform in winter 2017.[78] On May 24, 2017 Kloss won the
Diane von Furstenberg Inspiration Award.[79]
In April 2018, Kloss was announced as Estée Lauder's newest Global spokesmodel[80] and Brand Ambassador.[81] The company is committed to supporting her initiative "Kode with Klossy" through scholarships and events.[82] In October 2018, Kloss confirmed that she would be stepping in
Heidi Klum's shoes on the
seventeenth season of Project Runway as the host and executive producer: "I could not be more excited to host and produce a series that provides a platform to aspiring American designers as they pursue their creative and entrepreneurial dreams."[83][84] She narrated the season 2 episode "Coding" on the Netflix and
Vox Media television show Explained in October 2019.[85] Models.com has said that Kloss "represents the gold standard of modeling—a girl with the look, the poise, and the drive to take things to the next level", and she ranks on their "New Supers" and "Money Girl" lists.[86][87]
Other ventures
Kloss is also a
computer programmer, having studied
Ruby on Rails and other
web development technologies at
Flatiron School in 2014.[88] In April 2015, she partnered with Flatiron School and
Code.org to offer an annual scholarship called Kode with Klossy for young girls interested in
computer science and
software engineering.[89] In 2015, she also launched the Kode with Klossy, a two-week summer coding camp for girls from ages 13–18 which taught the basics of numerous programming languages such as
Ruby,
JavaScript, and
Swift. By 2018, the camp had expanded to include "50 coding camps in 25 US cities, teaching 1,000 girls to code".[90] By the end of the program, participants had built fully functional
mobile apps or
websites.[91]
Kloss collaborated with
Momofuku Milk Bar to create 'Karlie's Kookies,' a special recipe sold at DKNY Soho during Fashion's Night Out in
New York City, with proceeds benefiting hungry children worldwide through
FEED Projects, where 10 meals were donated for every tin of cookies sold.[92] She also led a group of high profile investors who purchased fashion magazine W in 2020.[93] In November 2023, Kloss acquired British fashion magazine i-D from
Vice Media Group and became its chief executive officer.[94] She is also an investor in probiotic company
Seed.[95] In 2020, Kloss was named a trustee of
Barnard College for a term of four years.[96] In March 2024, she, accompanied by her husband Joshua, initiated the revival of Life magazine for print and digital distribution through Bedford Media, in partnership with
Dotdash Meredith.[97]
Personal life
Kloss began dating businessman and investor
Joshua Kushner in 2012.[98][99] She got engaged to Kushner in July 2018, a month after she had
converted to Judaism (Kushner's religion).[100][101] The couple married on October 18, 2018, in upstate New York.[102][103] In June 2019, Kloss and Kushner had a second wedding celebration in
Wyoming.[104] Through her marriage, she is related to Kushner's elder brother
Jared and his wife
Ivanka Trump, who are members of the
family of Donald Trump.[101][105] She has stated that she finds it "frustrating [...] that the spotlight is always shifted away from [her] career toward [her] relationship".[106]
In October 2020, it was reported that Kloss and Kushner were expecting their first child.[107] Their first child, Levi Joseph, was born on March 11, 2021.[108][109] She announced her second pregnancy with Kushner during the
Met Gala in May 2023.[110] Their second child, Elijah Jude, was born on July 11, 2023.[111][112] In December 2020, the couple purchased a home in
Miami, Florida for US$23.5 million.[113]
^Meltzer, Marisa (January 17, 2013).
"The 'Karlie' Is Turning Heads". The New York Times.
Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
^"Kloss proud of Coach campaign". sg.news.yahoo.com. Cover Media. December 13, 2013.
Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
^"Karlie Kloss". Wix. March 6, 2015.
Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
^Brown, Tracy (October 10, 2018).
"Karlie Kloss and Christian Siriano will be on the new 'Project Runway'". Los Angeles Times.
Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022. 'As someone who grew up watching 'Project Runway,' I could not be more excited to host and produce a series that provides a platform to aspiring American designers as they pursue their creative and entrepreneurial dreams,' Kloss said in a press release.
^Sources differ on her first fashion show. Many say her Calvin Klein-exclusive show for the S/S 2008 season,[5][17][18] others say
3.1 Phillip Lim.[19][16]