Karlie Kloss

Early life

Karlie Elizabeth Kloss was born on 3 August 1992 in Chicago, Illinois, to emergency physician Kurt Kloss and freelance art director Tracy Kloss. She was discovered at a local charity runway show near St. Louis in 2005, taking her first professional job the following year at 14, a cover and editorial for Scene Magazine, before signing with Elite Model Management’s Chicago office.

Rapid rise, 2008–2013

By Fall 2008, Kloss had signed with Next Management and walked 64 runway shows across New York, Milan and Paris, becoming exclusive for Calvin Klein while closing Marc Jacobs and opening Carolina Herrera. She made her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway debut in Fall 2011, and by 2012 had fronted September covers for British Vogue, Japanese Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar Russia. In 2013 she was named a full Victoria’s Secret Angel, becoming the face of Donna Karan, Lacoste, Lanvin, the Louis Vuitton Alma bag campaign and a Coach ambassador.

Leaving Victoria’s Secret and Kode with Klossy, 2014–2018

Kloss became the face of L’Oréal Paris in September 2014, and left Victoria’s Secret in 2015, publicly citing discomfort with the brand’s messaging to young women. That April she launched Kode with Klossy, a nonprofit offering free coding camps for girls and non-binary teens, partnering with Estée Lauder, Flatiron School and Code.org; by 2025 the program reported reaching nearly 11,000 young people across more than 100 countries. She was named the face of Swarovski in 2016 and became Estée Lauder’s global spokesmodel in April 2018, the same year she was confirmed as host and executive producer of Project Runway’s 17th season.

Media ventures and recent record, 2019–2025

Kloss had appeared on 40 international Vogue covers by 2019. She led an investor group that purchased W magazine in 2020 and was named a trustee of Barnard College, before acquiring British magazine i-D from Vice Media Group in November 2023 and becoming its CEO. In March 2024 she revived Life magazine with her husband, venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, through Bedford Media’s partnership with Dotdash Meredith, and in December 2025 announced her debut children’s picture book, Spaghetti Code, tied to the Kode with Klossy mission. She married Kushner on 18 October 2018, and the couple have three children.

Why is Karlie Kloss ranked #61?

• Walked Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 (January 2024) and the Gucci Fall/Winter 2026 show in Milan (February 2026).
• Ongoing global spokesmodel for Estée Lauder and Adidas; hosts and executive-produces Project Runway.

Confidence: High confidence · evidence reviewed. Scores may change when a source is corrected or new work enters the current window.