Kamla Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, signed with IMG Models after a conspicuous appearance during the inauguration on January 20th.
Emhoff, 21, is the daughter of Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, and his first wife, Kerstin, a filmmaker.
Emhoff was an art student at the Parsons School of Design in New York, specializing in textiles, and has driven her in the spotlight since her stepmother’s career.
Her Miu Miu coat and viral eyebrow wrap at Mike Pence clinched the deal: before the inauguration day, she had about 50,000 followers on Instagram, and a week later, the total exceeded 300,000.
Ella Emhoff, pictured next to her father Doug during the inauguration, signed with IMG Models
The 21-year-old’s eyebrow wrap at Pence went viral after the moment was captured on camera
Emhoff now joins the ranks of Gigi Hadid, Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen and Alek Wek.
Her signing comes a day from Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old youth poet laureate who performed during the inauguration.
“It’s not really about shape, size or gender anymore,” said Ivan Bart, president of IMG Models.
Ella communicates this moment in time. There is a brutality and a joy she radiates. ‘
He said his reaction to her during the inauguration was, “Wow, she’s communicating fashion.”
Emhoff, with her unconventional appearance and 18 tattoos – including a cow, a vase, bacon and eggs, plus several that she did herself during the lock-up – said Bart’s approach took her back, even though she was busy to a smaller agent.
“I was pretty surprised when everything happened with IMG, because when I was younger, I never saw it as part of my timeline,” she told The New York Times.
“As someone who, like many young girls out there, had confidence, it is intimidating and scary to enter this world that is hyper-focused on you and the body.”
Amanda Gorman, the youth poet laureate pictured during the inauguration, also signed with IMG
Gisele Bundchen (left) and Gigi Hadid are some of the famous faces that are part of the IMG series
She said she was encouraged by the variety of models working today, and the opportunity to be ‘part of the change’.
Bart told the newspaper he noticed Emhoff as a fundraiser 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 they started talking during the summer about the possibility that she would join IMG.
They had a Zoom call, and she showed him her loom and some of her knitwear.
Emhoff frequently spoke of her strong family unity, with her brother Cole (26), parents and Harris – what she calls ‘Momala, the world’s greatest stepmother’.
The brothers and sisters, named after jazz legends John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald, name their father Doug.
Before the inauguration, she told The New York Times she hoped her father would knit, “like me.”
Her mother tweeted the news about her IMG deal, saying: ‘Very proud (but nervous) MAMA! Ella, with all our support, will remain true to her brutal self. ‘
Emhoff said: ‘Of course I have a bigger platform now and I’m excited to share a lot of things I really care about, and to do well.’
She said she was ‘excited to do things like put on fun clothes’ and ‘bring a little Bushwick into high fashion’.
She also hoped to raise money for knitting artists.
“There are a lot of people who need a lot of help,” she said.
“If I can do something to help it, I want to do it, and I think this opportunity will actually be beneficial.”