Karlie Kloss
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 Kloss
Model
2006–present
2
Blonde
- The Society Management[1]
- Models 1 (London)
- 2pm Model Management (Copenhagen)[2]
- UTA (Los Angeles)[3]
Apart from modeling, Kloss has an interest in technology and has founded the "Kode with Klossy" camp, which aims to get young girls interested in STEM fields. In 2019, she became host of the reality competition television series Project Runway. She has signed with several top modeling agencies throughout her career including Elite Model Management, Next Management, IMG Models, and The Society Management.
Early life and education[edit]
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 attended Webster Groves High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, where she was a cheerleader during her freshman year and graduated in 2011.[8][9] In September 2015, she enrolled in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study of New York University.[10]
Modeling career[edit]
2006–2010: Beginnings and modeling breakthrough[edit]
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]
Other ventures[edit]
Kloss is also a computer programmer, having studied Ruby on Rails and other web development technologies at Flatiron School in 2014.[89] 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.[90] 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".[91] By the end of the program, participants had built fully functional mobile apps or websites.[92]
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.[93] She also led a group of high profile investors who purchased fashion magazine W in 2020.[94] In November 2023, Kloss acquired British fashion magazine i-D from Vice Media Group and became its chief executive officer.[95] She is also an investor in probiotic company Seed.[96] In 2020, Kloss was named a trustee of Barnard College for a term of four years.[97] 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.[98]
Personal life[edit]
Kloss began dating businessman and investor Joshua Kushner in 2012.[99][100] She got engaged to Kushner in July 2018, a month after she had converted to Judaism (Kushner's religion).[101][102] The couple married on October 18, 2018, in upstate New York.[103][104] In June 2019, Kloss and Kushner had a second wedding celebration in Wyoming.[105] 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.[102][106] She has stated that she finds it "frustrating [...] that the spotlight is always shifted away from [her] career toward [her] relationship".[107]
In October 2020, it was reported that Kloss and Kushner were expecting their first child.[108] Their first child, Levi Joseph, was born on March 11, 2021.[109][110] She announced her second pregnancy with Kushner during the Met Gala in May 2023.[111] Their second child, Elijah Jude, was born on July 11, 2023.[112][113] In December 2020, the couple purchased a home in Miami, Florida for US$23.5 million.[114]
She supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States presidential election.[115] Kloss and her husband attended the March for Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. in protest of gun violence in the United States in March 2018.[116] She is a feminist,[117] and has stated that her decision to leave Victoria's Secret was partly motivated by her beliefs.[118] Kloss supported Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election.[119]