Childhood & Early Life
Karlie Kloss was born on August 3, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, to Tracy and Kurt Kloss. While her mother is a freelance director, her father is an emergency physician. She was born into a family with Danish, German, and Polish ancestry. Her great-grandfather was from Poland.
She was raised along with three sisters. Two of her sisters, Kimberly and Kariann, are twins, while her third sister is named Kristine. When Karlie was two years old her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she was raised.
As a child, she attended classical ballet dancing classes. According to Karlie, her dancing classes served as a good training ground for her runway walk. She even considers her training in classical ballet as one of the key factors to her success as a model. She attended ‘Webster Groves High School’ in Missouri, USA.
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Career
In 2006, she participated in a local charity fashion show in St. Louis where she was discovered by an agent. Subsequently, she started getting modeling offers which encouraged her to pursue a career in modeling.
In the same year, she posed for the June issue of ‘Scene Magazine’ for an editorial spread titled ‘Almost Famous.’ She was featured on the cover page of the magazine and her pictures were shot in Chicago by photographer David Leslie Anthony.
Her pictures from ‘Scene Magazine’ were forwarded by ‘Elite Modeling Agency’ (Chicago branch) to its New York counterpart. Subsequently, she was contacted by ‘Elite New York’ which then brought her to New York. One of the first modeling assignments that she signed through the agency was for ‘Abercrombie Kids.’ Her photographs for the brand’s ad campaign were shot by the legendary fashion photographer Bruce Weber.
In January 2008, she was signed by ‘NEXT Model Management.’ Her decision to switch from ‘Elite New York’ to ‘NEXT Model Management’ proved beneficial for her modeling career as she walked the ramp on 64 occasions in a single season. The season saw her walking runways in New York, Milan, and Paris for major designers like Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, and Doo-Ri Chung.
Her former agency ‘Elite New York’ sued ‘NEXT Model Management’ for stealing one of its young stars by offering her ‘improper compensation.’ ‘Elite’ went on to argue that it was responsible for launching her modeling career. The case was settled out of court between the two agencies.
In February 2008, she appeared alongside Chanel Iman and Ali Michael on the cover page of ‘Teen Vogue’ magazine. In October 2009, she appeared on the cover of the Italian edition of ‘Vogue.’ Subsequently, she became a regular feature for ‘Vogue’ published in different countries, such as Turkey, China, Portugal, Japan, Germany, and France.
She became one of the regular models for the international fashion house ‘Christian Dior’ which signed her for a third consecutive season in 2011. After representing ‘Next Model Management’ for four years, Karlie signed with ‘IMG Models.’ In 2012, she co-hosted the MTV show ‘House of Style’ with fellow model Joan Smalls.
In 2013, she was signed by famous fashion brands, such as ‘Donna Karan,’ ‘Lacoste,’ and ‘Lanvin’ for their respective promotional campaigns. She also posed for the iconic lingerie brand ‘Victoria’s Secret,’ working on a promotional video for the brand’s 2013 summer swimwear collection. In April 2013, she featured in a promotional campaign for the luxury fashion brand ‘Louis Vuitton.’ In the same year, she was named as one of the brand ambassadors for the American fashion company ‘Coach Inc.,’ and featured in its promotional campaigns.
In 2014, she appeared in campaigns for ‘Donna Karan,’ ‘Nike,’ ‘Jean Paul Gaultier,’ and ‘Lancaster.’ She was also seen in promotional campaigns for the famous perfume manufacturer ‘Chanel Coco Noir.’ She created a line of denim wear named after her by collaborating with the ‘Frame Denim’ brand of clothing. In September 2014, she was signed by ‘L’Oreal Paris’ to represent the French personal care company’s range of products.
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Along with some of her friends, she appeared on the cover of ‘Vogue’ magazine’s September 2014 edition. In the same year, she collaborated with online retailer ‘Warby Parker’ to create an eyewear line, the proceeds of which were donated to a charity organization.
In 2015, she starred in the music video of the song ‘I’ll be there’ for the legendary American band ‘Chic.’ She also appeared in the music video of Taylor Swift’s song ‘Bad Blood.’ She went on to appear alongside Swift during the singer’s concert in London’s ‘Hyde Park’ as well as at the ‘MetLife Stadium’ in New Jersey, USA.
In July 2015, she started her YouTube channel named ‘Klossy.’ In May 2016, she was signed by the crystal brand ‘Swarovski.’ In April 2017, she made an appearance on the ‘Netflix’ series ‘Bill Nye Saves the World.’ In 2017, she announced that she would have her own TV show ‘Movie Night with Karlie Kloss’ on the ‘Disney’ owned pay television channel ‘Freeform.’ She was also featured in the March 2017 issue of ‘American Vogue.’ In April 2018, she was announced as the spokesmodel and brand ambassador for the luxury cosmetics brand ‘Estee Lauder.’ She is currently signed by designer Marc Jacob’s perfume brand ‘Lola.’
Karlie Kloss has represented most of the leading fashion brands around the world. Apart from world-renowned brands like ‘Adidas,’ she has also modeled for leading designers and luxury brands like ‘John Galliano,’ ‘Jean Paul Gaultier,’ ‘Pringle of Scotland,’ ‘Dolce & Gabbana,’ ‘Nina Ricci,’ ‘Christian Dior,’ ‘Hermes,’ etc.
She has been acclaimed for her unique style of walking the ramp. ‘Vogue’ magazine has declared her to be one of the top 30 models of the 2000s. A famous modeling website claims that Karlie represents ‘the gold standard’ in the modeling profession because of her poise, confidence, and looks.
Family & Personal Life
She is in a relationship with a businessman named Joshua Kushner since 2012. Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. In July 2018, the couple announced their engagement. Prior to their announcement, Karlie had converted to Judaism which happens to be Jared Kushner’s faith.
She is an avid computer programmer. She regularly collaborates with educational groups and charities to help young girls pursue their interest in computer science and software engineering.
She took a two-year break from modeling to enroll at the ‘Gallatin School of Individualized Study’ which is a part of ‘New York University.’
She likes to make guest appearances on various YouTube channels. In November 2017, she made a guest appearance in the YouTube channel ‘Superwoman’ which is owned by Canadian YouTube personality Lilly Singh.
