Who is Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter that has become a fashion icon?

Getting one’s big break is often a stroke of luck, being in the right place at the right time and then catching the right person’s eye. That chance came for Ella Emhoff, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s daughter, when she attended her stepmother’s inauguration as the 49th US Vice President in January 2021. Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter wore a Miu Miu coat that caused a huge stir.

That same year, she graduated froma prestigious designer college, debuted at the Met Gala, launched a fashion line and signed a modeling contract, later appearing on fashion runways. Just over a year later Emhoff was named one of the fashion icons of 2022 by Harper’s Bazaar.

She credits her attaining such status to being able to stick to her “true instincts when it came to style.” Her eclectic style was on full display when she attended the Democratic National Convention to support her stepmother’s nomination to be the 2024 presidential candidate for the Democrats.

Who is Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter that has become a fashion icon?

Ella was born in 1999 to Doug Emhoff and film producer Kerstin Emhoff. Her parents named her after legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald.

Her mother taught her how to knit when she was six years old at a Disneyland hotel “with some kit from Target,” she recalled talking to Marie Claire. The activity became useful to control her hyperactivity and concentrate on the task at hand. “Young Ella was a very crafty kid who just couldn’t sit still,” Emhoff said.

In 2008, her parents divorced “for a variety of reasons” according to Emhoff’s mother. Her father and then Attorney General of California Kamala Harris were married in 2014. Harris became known as Momala to Ella and her brother Cole. Doug, Kamala and Kerstin have since become a three-person parenting squad that Ella said is “really cool.”

“It’s a cool dynamic we all have. And I think it is a good model to show that you can have this and this isn’t weird. Like it’s not weird to be friends or have a good relationship with your ex. It’s actually very healthy,” she explained to The New York Times.

Ella Ehoff’s rapid rise to fashion icon

Shortly after catching the eye of the fashion world at the presidential inauguration, Emhoff was signed by IMG Models Worldwide. Since then, she has posed for renowned fashion magazines and been on the cover of Dust Magazine. As well, Ella has modeled for brands such as Balenciaga and walked the runway in shows for Miu Miu among others.

Emhoff graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City in May 2021 where she studied fine arts, focusing on apparel and textiles. In conjunction with Batsheva Hay, she launched a limited collection of knitwear that same spring.

In May 2021, she also debuted at the Met Gala wearing a red diamond mesh bodysuit with matching trousers by Adidas by Stella McCartney. She would become the face of the Adidas by Stella McCartney campaign later that year.

She launched a community-based knit club called Soft Hands as well in 2021. Ella announced in January 2022 that she was continuing to produce knitwear under her own name and she would be doing monthly knit drops.

After that whirlwind year where she gained acclaim as a model, artist, and designer, in August 2022, Harper’s Bazaar named Ella one of their “icons” of the year.

People Magazine reported that Emhoff is dating Sam Hine, a fashion writer at GQ. She also welcomed a puppy named Jerry to her home in November 2023.