“I never saw myself as someone stylish,” Ella Emhoff said in a 2021 interview with Elle, of her early interest in fashion. “But… I was able to stick with my true instincts when it came to style, and it actually paid off.”
Paid off, indeed. At just 25 years old, the daughter of Doug Emhoff and stepdaughter of the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris finds herself with the fashion world at her feet, and New York’s elite designers vying to dress her. With Harris’s campaign taking off, Emhoff is set to step into an even brighter spotlight this year – something which could further enhance her appeal with designers.
Emhoff first caught the attention of the fashion cognoscenti at President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. She wore a burgundy-coloured moiré dress by in-the-know brand Batsheva, with a bejewelled tweed Miu Miu coat over the top. Amongst a crowd of suits, her fashion statement stood out.
“Ella has such a point of view and a style that you don’t always think about in [Washington] D.C., because… D.C. has the worst style,” the designer Batsheva Hay later told Vogue of the commission. “Women in politics often have these feelings of having to suppress their style or their individuality to fit into these boxy suits.”
All fashion magazines were asking the same question: “Who was this impossibly cool girl?” Interest was piqued further still when it was revealed that Emhoff, then a textiles student at Parsons School of Design, had actively collaborated with designer Batsheva Hay on the design of the dress. Just weeks later she was signed to the modelling agency IMG, which also represents the likes of Gisele Bundchen and Gigi Hadid.
Since then, Emhoff has appeared on the catwalk for Miu Miu and Balenciaga – but she’s become as famous for her off-duty look. She’s now a mainstay on the front row, pictured at the shows of up-and-coming fashion brands such as Collina Strada and Eckhaus Latta, as well as major players from Stella McCartney to Proenza Schouler.
Emhoff’s association with some of the hippest designers on the New York Fashion Week schedule was perhaps inevitable. Names from Prabal Gurung to Jonathan Simkhai have been vocal Democrat campaigners in the past, sharing similar values to Emhoff, not to mention comparable artistic interests and circles of friends. Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford stated publicly that they refused to dress the Trumps ahead of the last election, as a result of the former president’s divisive politics. As Kamala, who her step-daughter affectionately refers to as “Momala”, is a more understated dresser, Emhoff is also now perhaps the greatest opportunity for these designers to see their clothes worn on the world’s political stage.
Emhoff’s artsy fashion sense has seen her dubbed “the First Daughter of Bushwick” (one of New York’s most famous hipster neighbourhoods) and she’s garnered over 340,000 followers on Instagram. Her go-to look comprises round-frame glasses, tank tops that show off her plethora of tattoos and colourful knits, plus a signature crop of curly hair. She and her dress-alike boyfriend, the GQ editor Samuel Hine, are considered one of New York’s young creative power couples.
This momentum and influence has only increased continuously since that very public debut at the 2021 inauguration. So where does she take things next? Emhoff founded her own knitwear label, Soft Hands, and launched a knit portraiture collection in 2022.
In June 2024, she changed representation to United Talent Agency (UTA), a company which brokers deals for talents such as Kylie Minogue and Greta Gerwig. The move signifies a change in tack for Emhoff, moving from merely modelling to actively collaborating with brands, particularly with her knitwear label on the rise.
“That’s what gets me so excited about the whole industry,” Emhoff has said of her ambitions and the opportunities she sees extending from her modelling profile. “I see my peers, especially people coming from New York who aren’t ‘models,’ but they’ll use their own image to amplify their work and their ideals. I think modelling now is not just about modelling, but it’s about creating space for people who do other things, whether it be art, activism, writing, any type of creation.”
It’s a strategy that could work out well for her. If Kamala Harris wins the 2024 US presidential election, Emhoff would be promoted to “First Daughter” come January.
It’s natural to speculate what impact this might have on her career – particularly when compared to Ivanka Trump. Ivanka is the only other adult First Daughter in recent history, and she ultimately closed down her fashion business after taking a special advisory role in her father’s administration.
It seems unlikely that Emhoff – despite expressing an interest in politics – would consider taking a job with her stepmother, thus leaving her free to work in whatever field she wishes.
Well, almost free. If she continues with her knitwear brand and influencer career things will change. The scrutiny applied to every collaboration she engages in, and every design she releases, will be amplified. She will need to be extra considerate to avoid dragging her Momala into any controversy.
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