Vice President Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter Ella Emhoff has made her fashion world debut on the runway and as an emerging knitwear designer.
Emhoff, who first gained national attention when she arrived at President Biden’s inauguration in a bedazzled Miu Miu coat, signed with IMG Models last month.
On Thursday, the 21-year-old fashion student, who is currently a senior at Parsons School of Design in New York, officially walked her first runway when she made a surprise appearance during Proenza Schouler’s socially distanced New York Fashion Week presentation.
In an interview with designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Emhoff, the daughter of first gentleman Doug Emhoff, revealed that she was nervous the night before her runway debut.
“I definitely lost a little sleep the night before,” she said of the experience. “I mean, I’m walking for the first time, I’m in a professional environment for the first time … It was a very epic first experience with the fashion world.”
“The anticipation was very high,” Emhoff added.
For the fashion show, which saw Emhoff walk around New York’s Parrish Art Museum, the Parsons student donned three looks, including one consisting of a long leather coat, a yellow and black patterned top and white sandals.
Emhoff, who wore her signature wire-rimmed glasses, also wore a black suit by the designers, which featured wide-legged trousers and a single buttoned blazer.
During the conversation with the designers behind the label, Emhoff also revealed that she grew up wanting to be a designer herself - a dream that she achieved Thursday when she released a five-piece collection of knitwear, as reported by The New York Times.
The collection, which featured just one of each item, was released on the shopping platform Mall and included items such as a $300 “Flower Boob Sweater Vest” and a $260 Tweety Bag.
Shortly after the release, the entire collection sold out, with The Times noting that three of the pieces had sold out within 30 minutes of the launch.
While speaking with McCollough and Hernandez, Emhoff discussed her talent for knitting, revealing that she has been creating clothing using the technique for 13 years.
“But I’ve only started more recently taking it pretty seriously,” she said.
