Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, signed with IMG Models after an attractive appearance at the January 20 inauguration.
Emhoff, 21, is the daughter of Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, and his first wife, Kerstin, a film producer.
An art student at the Parsons School of Design in New York, specializing in textiles, Emhoff has been in talks with the agency since her stepmother’s career pushed her to the spotlight.
Her Miu Miu coat and the viral twitching of Mike Pence’s eyebrows sealed the deal: before the opening day, she had about 50,000 followers on Instagram, and a week later the total had exceeded 300,000.
Ella Emhoff, photographed next to her father Doug at the inauguration, signed with IMG Models
The 21-year-old frowned at Pence, going viral after the moment was caught on camera
Emhoff is now joining the ranks of Gigi Hadid, Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Alek Wek.
Her signing comes one day with that of Amanda Gorman, the young laureate of the 22-year-old poet, who performed at the inauguration.
“It’s not about shape, size or sex,” said Ivan Bart, president of IMG Models.
‘Ella communicates this moment in time. There is a naughtiness and a joy that emanates.
He said his response when he saw her at the inauguration was, “Wow, she communicates fashion.”
Emhoff, with her unconventional appearance and 18 tattoos – including a cow, a vase, ham and eggs, plus a few she did herself during the closing – said Bart’s approach took her back, even though he had modeled for a smaller agent.
“I was quite surprised when it all happened with IMG, because when I was younger, I didn’t see that as part of my timeline,” she told The New York Times.
“Like someone who, like many young girls out there, has had self-confidence, it’s intimidating and scary to go into this world hyper-focused on you and your body.”
Amanda Gorman, the young laureate poet, presented at the inauguration, also signed with IMG
Gisele Bundchen (left) and Gigi Hadid are among the famous faces who will be part of the IMG range
She said she was encouraged by the diversity of models that work today and the opportunity to be “part of this change.”
Bart told the newspaper that he noticed Emhoff raising funds for Harris during the presidential election.
Emhoff joins Alek Wek at IMG Models
“I noticed her as soon as she walked in the door,” he said.
He said that during the summer, they started talking about the possibility of joining IMG.
They got a Zoom call, and she showed him the war and some knitwear.
Emhoff spoke frequently about her strong family unit, with her 26-year-old brother Cole, parents and Harris – whom she referred to as “Momala, the world’s greatest stepmother”.
The brothers, named after jazz legends John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald, name their father Doug.
Before the inauguration, she told The New York Times that she hoped her father would start knitting, “just like me.”
Her mother posted the news of her IMG offer on Twitter, saying: “Very proud (but nervous) MOTHER! Ella will remain true to her naughty self with all our support.
Emhoff said: “Obviously, I now have a bigger platform and I’m excited to share a lot of things I care about and do something good.”
She said she was “excited to do things like wear fun clothes” and “bring a little Bushwick to the realm of fashion.”
He also hopes to raise funds for knitwear artists.
“There are a lot of people who need a lot of help,” she said.
“If I can do something to help with that, I want and I think this opportunity will be really beneficial for that.”