The Amazing Life Of Karlie Kloss

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Although she first made a name for herself as a model, working with major fashion brands like Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs as a teenager, Karlie Kloss has gone on to do more than showcase the latest designs on runways and the front covers of renowned fashion magazines. Though, given how much money supermodels really make, maintaining that lifestyle sounds pretty appealing. But, back to the topic at hand: Kloss' stunning transformation from teen model to motherhood, CEO, and more.

Yep, Kloss has done quite a lot in her life, and she's only been on the planet since 1992, making her many impressive feats all the more, well, impressive. From her early (and, seemingly, short-lived) days as a ballet dancer and an epic modeling career to her journey as a mother and her skillful business moves, here's everything you need to know about the (truly!) amazing life of Karlie Kloss.

In 2002, 10-year-old Karlie Kloss put on a pair of ballet shoes and enrolled at Caston's Ballet Academy. Although she went on to study ballet for 15 years, unfortunately, her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer did not come to fruition. Why? She was classed as too tall by industry standards. 

Some years on, when Kloss reflected on the pivotal moment, she told Vogue that her ballet training prepped her to succeed as a model later in life. "My ballet training was honestly the most valuable thing I could have done to prepare myself for this career," she said of her new career path. "[Modeling] is about movement, about rhythm, about your body, and your muscles." Kloss also credits ballet for helping her walk in high heels. "I've been able to jump around in 6-inch heels because I'm so used to jumping around in pointe shoes," she told The Sunday Times (via Vogue).

Most people don't get their career breakthroughs until much later in life, but for Karlie Kloss, her early teens proved to be pretty lucky. At the age of 13, while walking in a charity fashion show in St. Louis, Kloss was discovered by scouts Jeff and Mary Clarke of Mother Model Management. The husband-and-wife duo traveled around the United States looking for undiscovered modeling talent with runway potential and, in addition to Kloss, they're behind the successful careers of Ashton Kutcher and Grace Hartzel, to name a few.

After being discovered by the Clarkes, Kloss was signed by the well-known Elite Model Management, who immediately agreed to meet the teen after seeing photos of a shoot from Scene Magazine Chicago. "In 2005, I was discovered, and things got pretty crazy, pretty quickly," Kloss said years later on her YouTube channel. "I'd be in second period chemistry one day and then walking the Paris runways the next."

Upon being signed by Elite Model Management, Karlie Kloss was sent for runway lessons to undo the effects of her training as a ballet dancer. It took some time to unlearn the years of maintaining the classic ballet form, which involves pointing your limbs and feet outward (aka turnout). Her training proved to be successful, as Kloss went on to make her catwalk debut at just 15 years old.

So, which designer did Kloss walk for on the runway for the very first time? She made her debut in September 2007 for the Calvin Klein Collection Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear Show. Although the teen hadn't yet mastered what would come to be her signature catwalk stomp, her head-to-toe white outfit was oh-so angelic — which is perhaps a bit of foreshadowing for one of her later career highlights (more on that to come).

As far as early career milestones go, Karlie Kloss knew how to nail them. In February 2008, just months after walking in her very first catwalk show, Kloss appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue. For the shoot, Kloss was featured alongside Chanel Iman and Ali Michael, and they were photographed by the iconic Patrick Demarchelier. "Whenever my mom and I are passing through an airport ... we stop and look at Teen Vogue and try to soak it all in," she said in her cover interview.

Little did Kloss know, there'd be much more to soak in. One year on, she was included in a list of fashion's favourite faces for the September issue of Vogue. "She's an amazing model," photographer Steven Meisel told Vogue of Kloss' inclusion. "She will add things to a shoot that I would never have thought of." Perhaps it's no surprise then that Kloss is now featured among the models with the most Vogue covers, with a total of 46.

Appearing on the cover of Teen Vogue in 2008 alongside her fellow models was just the start for Karlie Kloss. That same year, Kloss left Elite Model Management and moved to Next. She then went on to walk in 31 shows during New York Fashion Week for brands such as Vera Wang, 3.1 phillip lim, Narciso Rodriguez, and more.

During New York Fashion Week, Kloss also opened for Carolina Herrera and landed the highly sought-after position of closing for Marc by Marc Jacobs. All of this earned her the No. 1 spot on The Cut's roundup of top models that year. Beyond walking for major designers for New York Fashion Week and earning recognition within the fashion realm, Kloss also become the face of global ad campaigns for luxury beauty and lifestyle brands, including Marc Jacobs' Lola fragrance.

In December 2010, Karlie Kloss reached her biggest career milestone to date. She was included in a British Vogue round-up which celebrated models of the decade, such as Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and Natalia Vodianova. On top of that, the shoot was captured by the legendary Mario Testino, who is praised as one of the most influential fashion photographers of recent history. 

All of this essentially secured Kloss her supermodel status. And this was before she'd even graduated high school! "I'm so excited to be a part of this campaign and to be working with Mario Testino," Kloss told Huawei in 2015 regarding a watch ad campaign. "Fashion and technology both play an important role in my life, and I'm excited to see these two worlds come together."

As if featuring on international covers of Vogue and being likened to Claudia Schiffer weren't enough of a feat, Karlie Kloss walked in the iconic Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for the first time in 2011. However, a year on from Kloss' Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut, the brand faced backlash for dressing Kloss in a Native American-inspired outfit on the runway, for which it publicly apologized. 

Kloss continued to appear in the annual runway show until 2015. Despite being a contender for one of the most famous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show models of all time, Kloss ultimately hung up her wings in 2019. "The reason I decided to stop working with Victoria's Secret was I didn't feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am and the kind of message I want to send to young women around the world about what it means to be beautiful," she told British Vogue.

While simultaneously rising through the ranks as a supermodel, Karlie Kloss launched her YouTube channel: Klossy. In a teaser video for the channel, published in July 2015, Kloss explained that although she'd moved to New York to pursue a career in modeling — and that it had kept her incredibly busy — it wasn't the only thing she wanted to do. 

"I've spent the majority of my life in front of the camera, but not my camera," she went on, telling fans that the channel would give them a behind-the-scenes look at her life in the fashion industry and beyond. The model's YouTube account is still running more than a decade later. Klossy has over 700,000 subscribers to the channel and hundreds of videos. Some of the most popular posts include a recap of Kloss' 17th Met Gala posted in 2026 and a styling video with influencer Emma Chamberlain from 2020.

Despite her major successes, Karlie Kloss put her modeling career on the backburner in 2015 when she enrolled as a student at New York University (NYU). So, what did the Karlie Kloss study at school? Well, unsurprisingly, the former Victoria's Secret Angel and international Vogue cover star didn't limit herself to one degree. The then-22-year-old attended NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study which, according to the university itself, is a school where students essentially curate their own degree.

For Kloss, that path meant studying an array of different subjects, as she explained to Self magazine (via ABC News). "My ambition is really just to study things that I'm curious about," she said. "I want to study computer science. I want to study psychology. I'm fascinated by space. I want to study art history." Supermodel? Check. YouTuber? Check. NYU student? Check.

In 2014, Karlie Kloss took her first coding class, as she documented on her Klossy YouTube channel. "I didn't think it would change my life in any way," she recalled, admitting that she only took the coding course out of curiosity. Nonetheless, the experience inspired her to share her knowledge of coding with other women and girls. 

The following year, Kloss launched the Kode With Klossy scholarship to teach young women software engineering. According to the brand's mission, Kode With Klossy aims to inspire young women to pursue careers in tech through education and opportunities. "I never cease to be amazed by our scholars," Kloss captioned a November 2025 YouTube video to mark a decade of Kode with Klossy, citing "their brilliance, resilience, creativity, passion, and all they accomplish when given the tools and support to lead with confidence." Pointing to some of Kode With Klossy's highlights, the former model said that 2023 had been its biggest year, with over 5,000 scholarships awarded.

Considering just how much Karlie Kloss has achieved in her life so far, it's no wonder that she scored a place on TIME's list of The 100 Most Influential People in 2016. Of Kloss' inclusion, all-round industry icon Diane von Furstenberg described her as "the epitome of the ideal American millennial woman" (via TIME). The famed Belgian fashion designer went on, "[Kloss] doesn't just connect with her generation — she leads it, inspiring young women around the world to become the women they want to be, just as she has done so beautifully."

For her part, however, Kloss downplayed her inclusion in the feature. In an interview with Vogue Australia, she opened up about the achievement but wasn't as favorable about herself as von Furstenberg had been. "I think the only explanation I have is just sheer dumb luck that I've stuck around this long, mixed with hard work," she said.

Somehow, between being a supermodel, handing out coding scholarships, and attending university, Karlie Kloss had time to find love as well. In 2012, 19-year-old Kloss met Joshua Kushner, though they kept their romance largely out of public view. "I'm not trying to hide that from the world; I just really like having a more private private life," she told Net-A-Porter. Perhaps that's why fans know so little about Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner's marriage. Nonetheless, the pair weren't able to keep their relationship entirely out of the spotlight. Joshua's brother, Jared Kushner, is married to Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's daughter.

Trump family politics aside, Kloss married her beau in October 2018. Although fans know very few details about Kloss and Josh's two secret weddings, it was revealed that the pair said "I do" for the first time in an intimate ceremony in upstate New York. "Josh and I share a lot of the same liberal values that guide our lives and the things we stand for," she told Vogue. "We've really grown together personally and professionally. Josh knows that I'm just a nerdy, curious human being."

Anyone who has ever planned a wedding can attest to how stressful that can be. But, for Karlie Kloss, she seemingly took all that in her stride, which is pretty fitting for a fashion catwalk model. During the same month as her wedding — October 2018 — Kloss was also announced as the new host of fashion competition series "Project Runway." In a press release, Kloss said (via the Los Angeles Times), "As someone who grew up watching 'Project Runway,' I could not be more excited to host and produce a series that provides a platform to aspiring American designers as they pursue their creative and entrepreneurial dreams."

The big announcement came as the hit show was being rebooted by Bravo after a decade on Lifetime. "Project Runway" had previously been hosted by fellow model, Heidi Klum. Kloss hosted "Project Runway" for Season 17 and 18 but departed the rebooted show in 2020.

If you thought Karlie Kloss was done making major career moves, think again. In 2020, Kloss led a group of investors to acquire W Magazine, a sister publication to Women's Wear Daily (WWD). The fashion publication was formerly part of the iconic Condé Nast group, which owns brands such as Vogue, Glamour, and GQ. Condé Nast sold W Magazine to Future Media; the CEO of the latter company then put the magazine on the back burner.

Kloss' acquirement of W Magazine was part of a joint venture called W Media, which had been assembled by W Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Sara Moonves. In addition to Kloss, the new venture was backed up by several famous faces, including founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, Jason Blum, as well as model Kaia Gerber and racing driver Lewis Hamilton, among others. Very impressive!

At this point, you'd be forgiven for assuming Karlie Kloss has a magical time machine that helps her get everything done. Just one year after leading the acquisition of W Magazine, Kloss and her husband became parents for the first time in March 2021 with the arrival of Levi Joseph Kushner. Kloss and Joshua expanded their family even further by welcoming another son, Elijah Jude Kushner, in July 2023. Then, in September 2025, Kloss and her husband added a daughter to the mix with the arrival of Rae Florence Kushner. 

"Having my three babies has changed me in so many ways," Kloss said of being a parent in a July 2026 Instagram post. "One of the biggest shifts has been realizing that motherhood isn't about getting everything 'right.' It's about finding what works for your family and learning to trust yourself along the way."

Karlie Kloss' list of impressive accolades continued to grow in 2023 when she assumed the role of CEO. How? Well, following the bankruptcy of Vice Media Group, Kloss purchased popular British fashion publication i-D. Why? Well, that's even more interesting. Kloss has made no secret of her passion for reviving legacy print and digital publications through Bedford Media, the media holding company she shares with husband Joshua Kushner and of which she is CEO.

"I feel like I'm the person running into a burning building," she said to Emily Chang of "The Circuit" (via Bloomberg) of her plans to bring the print and publication worlds back from the brink. She added, "I don't think that we're going to have Facebook outcomes on this investment necessarily, but that's not my intention here. My intention is to build a really viable business, but to make really meaningful work along the way."

In 2026, Karlie Kloss combined two of her greatest passions: motherhood and coding. To inspire kids to embrace STEM (that's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, FYI), she wrote a children's book called "Spaghetti Code." The name is a nod to the computer programming term spaghetti code, which relates to source code that has a messy structure, making it difficult to read and maintain. As for the book itself, it follows young Kelly Kent, who, as the name suggests, loves spaghetti and computers.

In the same year that Kloss released her first children's book, her husband, Joshua Kushner — who is the founder of venture capital firm Thrive Capital, with deep interest in sports on the side — agreed to buy the Lakers. He did so alongside his younger brother, Jared Kushner, and Bob Iger, Disney's chief executive. Big year for the Kloss-Kushners!

In addition to writing and releasing her children's book, Karlie Kloss sprinkled in some philanthropic work, too. In 2026, the same year of her book release and her husband's multi-billion-dollar business move, Kloss opened the Karlie Kloss Center for Maternal Health at The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami, Florida. And the reason behind the generous $2.5-million donation is a poignant one.

"For Karlie and her family, this moment is deeply personal," a joint post on Instagram said of the special occassion. The post was shared by UHealth Jackson Children's Care, along with the Jackson Health System, Jackson Health Foundation, and the former supermodel herself. "All three of their children were born at Jackson, and this gift is a meaningful way to give back to the team that cared for their family." Wow, is there anything Kloss can't do!?