How Ella Emhoff became the star of New York Fashion Week

A runway debut and a sold out capsule knitwear collection, it’s been a busy week for Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter says Naomi May
Naomi May19 February 2021

It all started with a carefully chosen inauguration outfit.

When Ella Emhoff arrived at The Capitol for her stepmum Vice President Kamala Harris’s big moment in a power shouldered, crystal-embellished Miu Miu coat and Batsheva dress, little did she know that her career would instantaneously skyrocket.

A week later the 22-year-old was snapped up by IMG Models, the same modelling agency which represents fashion heavyweights Hailey Bieber, Paloma Elsesser and Karlie Kloss, among many others.

And this week, the Parson’s School of Design student has been the breakout star of New York Fashion week. Making her runway debut for Proenza Schouler during the brand’s socially-distanced autumn/winter 2021 show, Emhoff strutted down the catwalk wearing a trio of minimalist looks for the showcase filmed at the New York’s Parrish Art Museum.

“It was my first ever fashion experience and I have to say I was a little nervous,” said Emhoff. “I definitely lost a little sleep the night before… I’m walking for the first time. I’m in a professional environment like that for the first time.”

Proenza Schouler AW21
IMAXTree

To coincide with the show, Emhoff attended a panel discussion with Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, as part of the official New York Fashion Week schedule. Emhoff, who took summer course’s at London’s Central Saint Martins during high school, said she was enjoying modelling so far.

“I think my favourite part is just wearing the clothes; seeing the clothes, being able to touch them, being able to look at the craftsmanship—also it’s just a fun way to dress up,” she said. “It is almost like acting. You do put on a different persona.”

Ella Emhoff modelling for Proenza Schouler
IMAXTree

To complete a trio of fashion week triumphs, Emhoff also released her first limited-edition five-piece knitwear collection, which sold out within 30 minutes.  

Normally, the fine arts student prefers to auction off her designs. Earlier in the year, Emhoff raffled off several knit pieces via her Instagram account. To enter, people had to donate a minimum of ten dollars to For The Gworls or The Okra Project, two charities that work to support the Black trans community.

“I’ve obviously got a bigger platform now, and I’m excited to share a lot of things I really care about, and do some good,” Emhoff told the New York Times. “There are a lot of people out there that need a lot of help. If I can do anything to help with that, I want to, and I think this opportunity will be really beneficial toward that.”

The big goal though? To start her own fashion label. “The dream is my own brand,” Emhoff said during New York Fashion Week. “I want to see guys, girls, people—I want to see everyone wearing colourful striped pants or my dresses. That would be great.” 

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in