Ella Emhoff
Emhoff in 2021
Born
Ella Rose Emhoff

(1999-05-29) May 29, 1999 (age 24)
Education Parsons School of Design (BFA)
Occupations
  • Fashion designer
  • model
  • artist
Agent IMG Models
Political party Democratic
Parent(s) Doug Emhoff (father)
Kerstin Emhoff (mother)
Relatives Kamala Harris (stepmother)

Ella Rose Emhoff (born May 29, 1999)[1] is an American model, artist, and fashion designer. As the daughter of U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and stepdaughter of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, she is a member of the Second Family of the United States.

Early life

Emhoff was born to Douglas Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer,[2] and Kerstin Emhoff (née Mackin), a film producer.[3] She was named after the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald.[4] Although her father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, a spokesperson for Emhoff clarified that Ella does not identify as Jewish.[5][6] She has an older brother, Cole.[7] Her parents divorced in 2008.[2][8][9] In August 2014, her father married Kamala Harris, a lawyer who was then serving as the Attorney General of California.[8][10] Emhoff and her brother coined the term "Momala" for their stepmother.[4][11] Emhoff, whose family are members of the Democratic Party, was raised around politics.[12][13] She and her family, as supporters of same-sex marriage in California, were active in fighting against the 2008 California Proposition 8.[12][13] In 2016, her stepmother was elected to the United States Senate, representing California.[14] In 2021, she became a member of the second family when her stepmother was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States.

Emhoff graduated from Wildwood School, where she was a member of the swimming and basketball teams, in 2018.[7][4] She was a student at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she majored in fine arts with a concentrated focus in apparel and textiles, and she graduated in May 2021.[7][11]

Career

In 2014, Emhoff made a cameo in the music video for Bo Burnham's song "Repeat Stuff".[7]

Emhoff designs jackets, hats, coats, and knitted shorts, which she sells from her Instagram account and her website.[12][13][15] She also sells ceramics, paintings, and drawings from her website.[16][17]

In January 2021, Emhoff was signed with IMG Models worldwide, an international modelling agency based in New York City.[11][18][19] She has gained attention from the BBC and the New York Times for having tattoos and refusing to shave her armpit hair.[3][20] The agency announced her contract on Twitter.[21] Earlier, she was featured in an editorial for the independent fashion magazine Buffalo Zine.[11][13][22] Viola, her modeling agent, signed her to his agency in September 2019.

She is a member of The 3% Movement, an organization focused on increasing the number of women creative directors in the United States.[23]

Personal life and public image

Emhoff with her stepmother, Kamala Harris, in May 2021
Emhoff (right) and her brother Cole (left) at the 59th Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021

Emhoff lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn and has been called "The First Daughter of Bushwick".[3][12][21] Her family has homes in Brentwood, Los Angeles; South of Market, San Francisco; and West End, Washington, D.C.[24]

She is a supporter of LGBT rights, particularly as an advocate for the rights of transgender people.[13] In 2020, she announced she would support the organization For the Gworls, a black, transgender-led collective that fundraises money to help black transgender people pay for rent, gender affirming surgery, travel, and medical care.[13][17][25]

Emhoff spoke in the broadcast of the 2020 Democratic National Convention in August 2020.[3][26]

On January 20, 2021, Emhoff attended the 59th U.S. Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., where her stepmother was sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States[7][21][5][13] As of August 2021, Emhoff is dating GQ editor Sam Hine.[27]

Fashion

Emhoff received international media attention at the inauguration due to her outfits, including a dress she co-designed with Batsheva Hay, and a jewel-encrusted Miu Miu coat.[3][11][28] Vogue said that Emhoff's inauguration outfit "perfectly married her signature Brooklyn quirk with the solemnity of the occasion" and stated that "[Emhoff] wouldn't be hewing to any outdated notions of what a White House-adjacent young woman should dress like."[3][29] After the inauguration, Emhoff's Instagram following increased from 50,000 followers to over 300,000 in less than a week.[3][11][30] Fashion retailer Lyst reported that, after footage of Emhoff went viral on Twitter and TikTok,[31][32] Miu Miu saw a 455% increase in internet searches six hours after the inauguration.[33] She had also received attention for her skirt, tie, and Thom Browne coat she wore to the National COVID-19 Memorial in Washington, D.C., the night before the inauguration.[11][34]

References

  1. ^ McKnight, Jenni (May 14, 2021). "Kamala Harris celebrates exciting news for stepdaughter Ella Emhoff". Hello!. Retrieved June 17, 2021. ... although Ella's birthday is not until 29 May, it could well have been an early celebration.
  2. ^ a b North, Anna (January 22, 2021). "Doug Emhoff, wife guy extraordinaire". Vox. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Ella Emhoff: Who is IMG's latest model?". BBC News. January 29, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Harris, Kamala (May 10, 2019). "Sen. Kamala Harris on Being 'Momala'". Elle. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Tolsky, Molly (January 25, 2021). "We Were Wrong to Assume Ella Emhoff Is Jewish". Alma. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  6. ^ Rudoren, Jodi (January 22, 2021). "Ella Emhoff isn't Jewish (and she doesn't want to talk about it)". The Forward. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Pomarico, Nicole (January 19, 2021). "Ella Emhoff Opens Up About Real Life With Kamala Harris As Her Stepmom". YourTango. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Goldstein, Jessica M. (October 5, 2020). "Doug Emhoff Is the Good Husband". Marie Claire. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Gonzales, Erica (January 21, 2021). "Kamala Harris's Stepchildren Were at Her Side at the Inauguration". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Kahn, Mattie (October 28, 2020). "Zooming With Doug, Cole, and Ella Emhoff a Week Before the Election". Glamour. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Friedman, Vanessa; Testa, Jessica (January 28, 2021). "Ella Emhoff Gets a Major Modeling Contract". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Bennett, Jessica (January 17, 2021). "What's It Like to Have Kamala Harris as 'Momala'? We Asked Her Stepkids". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Walters, Meg (January 22, 2021). "The Untold Truth Of Ella Emhoff". The List. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "Live California election results". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  15. ^ "Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Stole The Show In Miu Miu".
  16. ^ Elan, Priya (January 29, 2021). "Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's stepdaughter, signs with IMG Models". The Guardian.
  17. ^ a b Kemp, Sophie (November 20, 2020). "Finally, a Slow Fashion King at the White House". Vice.
  18. ^ Specter, Emma (January 29, 2021). "Ella Emhoff Has Signed a Modeling Contract With IMG". Teen Vogue.
  19. ^ Cope, Rebecca (January 29, 2021). "Kamala Harris's stepdaughter Ella Emhoff and Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman signed to IMG Models". Tatler.
  20. ^ Frank, Allegra (January 29, 2021). "Forgive Me for Not Celebrating the Quirky Second Daughter Landing a Modeling Contract". Slate Magazine.
  21. ^ a b c Grindell, Samantha (January 29, 2021). "Kamala Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff signs with IMG Models after being called a 'style icon'". Insider.
  22. ^ Byck, Daniella (January 28, 2021). "Of Course Ella Emhoff Got a Modeling Contract. She's Already Mastered the Art of Posing".
  23. ^ "Ella | 3 Percent Movement". www.3percentmovement.com.
  24. ^ Bose, Debanjali; Williams, Annabelle (February 22, 2021). "Take a look inside Kamala Harris' multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio, which includes property in California and Washington, DC". Business Insider.
  25. ^ "Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, Supports This Trans-Led Org". Out. January 12, 2021.
  26. ^ Summers, Juana (December 9, 2020). "As A Stepparent, Kamala Harris Puts 'Families You Choose' In The Spotlight". NPR.
  27. ^ Rozsa, Lori (August 27, 2021). "Doug Emhoff's Daughter Ella Talks Fashion Plans and Her Magazine Editor Boyfriend". People. Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  28. ^ Midkiff, Sarah. "Ella Emhoff Brought Brooklyn To Inauguration Day & It Was Perfect". www.refinery29.com.
  29. ^ Specter, Emma (January 20, 2021). "How Ella Emhoff and Batsheva Hay Came Up With an Inauguration-Worthy Dress". Vogue.
  30. ^ Mondalek, Alexandra (January 28, 2021). "US Second Daughter Ella Emhoff Signs to IMG Models". The Business of Fashion.
  31. ^ Schmidt, Ann (January 28, 2021). "Kamala Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff signs contract with IMG Models". Fox News.
  32. ^ Huber, Eliza (November 20, 2020). "Kamala Harris' Step-Daughter Ella Emhoff Might Knit Her Own Inauguration Loo". Refinery29.
  33. ^ Palumbo, Jacqui (January 29, 2021). "Inauguration star Ella Emhoff signs major modeling deal". CNN.
  34. ^ Goldberg, Carrie (January 20, 2021). "Ella Emhoff Wears Miu Miu and Batsheva to the Inauguration". Harper's Bazaar.

External links