Ella Emhoff Explained

Ella Emhoff
Birth Name:Ella Rose Emhoff
Birth Date:29 May 1999
Party:Democratic
Parents:Doug Emhoff (father)
Kerstin Mackin (mother)
Relatives:Kamala Harris (stepmother)
Education:Parsons School of Design (BFA)

Ella Rose Emhoff (born May 29 1999)[1] is an American artist and fashion designer. As the daughter of U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and stepdaughter of 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. She was named after the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald.[3] Although her father is Jewish, a spokesperson for Emhoff said that Ella does not identify as Jewish, since Judaism is "not something she grew up with".[4] Doug Emhoff began practicing the religion when Ella and her older brother Cole were already grown and no longer living at home.[5] Her parents divorced in 2008, when she was 9 years old.[6] [7] In August 2014, when she was 15, her father married Kamala Harris, a lawyer then serving as Attorney General of California.[6] [8] Emhoff and her brother coined the term "Momala" for their stepmother.[3] Emhoff, whose family members belong to the Democratic Party, was raised around politics. She and her family, as supporters of same-sex marriage in California, were active in fighting against the 2008 California Proposition 8. In 2016, when she was 17, her stepmother was elected to the United States Senate, representing California.[9] In 2021, when she was 22, she became a member of the second family when her stepmother was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States.

In 2017, Emhoff graduated from Wildwood School, where she was a member of the swimming and basketball teams.[3] 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 graduated in 2021.

Career

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

Emhoff designs jackets, hats, coats, and knitted shorts, which she sells from her Instagram account and her website.[10] She also sells ceramics, paintings, and drawings from her website.[11] [12]

In January 2021, Emhoff signed with IMG Models worldwide, an international modelling agency based in New York City.[13] [14] [15] She has gained attention from the BBC and the New York Times for having tattoos and not shaving her armpit hair.[16] The agency announced her contract on Twitter. Earlier, she was featured in an editorial for the independent fashion magazine Buffalo Zine.[13] [17] Viola, her modeling agent, signed her to his agency in September 2019.

Emhoff is a member of The 3% Movement, an organization focused on increasing the number of women creative directors in the United States.[18]

Personal life and public image

Emhoff lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and has been called "The First Daughter of Bushwick".[19] [20] Her family has homes in Brentwood, Los Angeles; South of Market, San Francisco; and West End, Washington, D.C.[21]

She is a supporter of LGBT rights, particularly as an advocate for the rights of transgender people. In 2020, she announced she would support the organization For the Gworls, a black, transgender-led collective that raises money to help black transgender people pay for rent, gender-affirming surgery, travel, and medical care.[12] [22]

Emhoff spoke in the broadcast of the 2020 Democratic National Convention in August 2020.[23] [24]

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[25] [20] [26] [27] As of 2024, Emhoff is dating GQ fashion writer Sam Hine.[28] [29]

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.[23] [13] [30] Vogue wrote that Emhoff's inauguration outfit "perfectly married her signature Brooklyn quirk with the solemnity of the occasion" and that Emhoff "wouldn't be hewing to any outdated notions of what a White House-adjacent young woman should dress like."[23] [31] After the inauguration, Emhoff's Instagram following increased from 50,000 followers to over 300,000 in less than a week.[23] [13] [32] Fashion retailer Lyst reported that, after footage of Emhoff went viral on Twitter and TikTok,[33] [34] Miu Miu saw a 455% increase in internet searches six hours after the inauguration.[35] She also received attention for the skirt, tie, and Thom Browne coat she wore to the National COVID-19 Memorial in Washington, D.C., the night before the inauguration.[13] [36]

In 2021 she founded Soft Hands, a company focused on exploring "opportunities in fashion, design, creative consulting and hosting events."[37] Her mother taught her how to knit at age six. In 2023, she debuted "Ella Emhoff Likes to Knit," a pop-up presentation at New York Fashion Week. In 2024, she exhibited knit paintings at Gotham, a gallery in New York City.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: McKnight. Jenni. May 14, 2021. Kamala Harris celebrates exciting news for stepdaughter Ella Emhoff. Hello!. June 17, 2021. ... although Ella's birthday is not until 29 May, it could well have been an early celebration..
  2. Web site: North. Anna. January 22, 2021. Doug Emhoff, wife guy extraordinaire. February 1, 2021. Vox.
  3. Web site: Harris. Kamala. May 10, 2019. Sen. Kamala Harris on Being 'Momala'. February 1, 2021. Elle.
  4. Web site: Rudoren. Jodi. January 22, 2021. Ella Emhoff isn't Jewish (and she doesn't want to talk about it). February 1, 2021. The Forward.
  5. Web site: Massel . Rebecca . 2024-07-21 . Doug Emhoff: What would it mean if the first first gentleman is Jewish? . 2024-07-26 . The Forward . en.
  6. Web site: Goldstein. Jessica M.. October 5, 2020. Doug Emhoff Is the Good Husband. February 1, 2021. Marie Claire.
  7. Gonzales. Erica. January 21, 2021. Kamala Harris's Stepchildren Were at Her Side at the Inauguration. February 1, 2021. Harper's Bazaar.
  8. Web site: Kahn. Mattie. October 28, 2020. Zooming With Doug, Cole, and Ella Emhoff a Week Before the Election. February 1, 2021. Glamour.
  9. News: Live California election results. live. Los Angeles Times. November 9, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161109220737/http://graphics.latimes.com/la-na-pol-2016-election-results-california/. November 9, 2016.
  10. Web site: Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Stole The Show In Miu Miu.
  11. Web site: Elan. Priya. January 29, 2021. Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's stepdaughter, signs with IMG Models. The Guardian.
  12. Web site: Kemp. Sophie. November 20, 2020. Finally, a Slow Fashion King at the White House. Vice.
  13. Web site: Friedman. Vanessa. Testa. Jessica. January 28, 2021. Ella Emhoff Gets a Major Modeling Contract. February 1, 2021. The New York Times.
  14. Web site: Specter. Emma. January 29, 2021. Ella Emhoff Has Signed a Modeling Contract With IMG. Teen Vogue.
  15. Web site: Cope. Rebecca. January 29, 2021. Kamala Harris's stepdaughter Ella Emhoff and Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman signed to IMG Models. Tatler.
  16. Web site: Frank. Allegra. January 29, 2021. Forgive Me for Not Celebrating the Quirky Second Daughter Landing a Modeling Contract. Slate Magazine.
  17. Web site: Byck. Daniella. January 28, 2021. Of Course Ella Emhoff Got a Modeling Contract. She's Already Mastered the Art of Posing..
  18. Web site: Ella | 3 Percent Movement. www.3percentmovement.com.
  19. Web site: Bennett. Jessica. January 17, 2021. What's It Like to Have Kamala Harris as 'Momala'? We Asked Her Stepkids. February 1, 2021. The New York Times.
  20. Web site: Grindell. Samantha. January 29, 2021. Kamala Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff signs with IMG Models after being called a 'style icon'. Insider.
  21. Web site: 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.
  22. Web site: Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, Supports This Trans-Led Org. January 12, 2021. Out.
  23. Web site: Ella Emhoff: Who is IMG's latest model?. January 29, 2021. BBC News.
  24. Web site: Summers. Juana. December 9, 2020. As A Stepparent, Kamala Harris Puts 'Families You Choose' In The Spotlight. NPR.
  25. Web site: Pomarico. Nicole. January 19, 2021. Ella Emhoff Opens Up About Real Life With Kamala Harris As Her Stepmom. February 1, 2021. YourTango.
  26. Web site: Tolsky. Molly. January 25, 2021. We Were Wrong to Assume Ella Emhoff Is Jewish. February 1, 2021. Alma.
  27. Web site: Walters. Meg. January 22, 2021. The Untold Truth Of Ella Emhoff. February 1, 2021. The List.
  28. Web site: Rozsa. Lori. August 27, 2021. Doug Emhoff's Daughter Ella Talks Fashion Plans and Her Magazine Editor Boyfriend. live. 2021-08-28. People. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210827220012/https://people.com/style/ella-emhoff-second-child-to-the-second-family-choose-fashion-over-politics/ . 2021-08-27 .
  29. Web site: 2024-08-20 . Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's Stepdaughter, Is a Multidisciplinary Artist . 2024-08-21 . Town & Country . en-US.
  30. Web site: Ella Emhoff Brought Brooklyn To Inauguration Day & It Was Perfect. Sarah. Midkiff. www.refinery29.com.
  31. Web site: Specter. Emma. January 20, 2021. How Ella Emhoff and Batsheva Hay Came Up With an Inauguration-Worthy Dress. Vogue.
  32. Web site: Mondalek. Alexandra. January 28, 2021. US Second Daughter Ella Emhoff Signs to IMG Models. The Business of Fashion.
  33. Web site: Schmidt. Ann. January 28, 2021. Kamala Harris' stepdaughter Ella Emhoff signs contract with IMG Models. Fox News.
  34. Web site: Huber. Eliza. November 20, 2020. Kamala Harris' Step-Daughter Ella Emhoff Might Knit Her Own Inauguration Loo. Refinery29.
  35. Web site: Palumbo. Jacqui. January 29, 2021. Inauguration star Ella Emhoff signs major modeling deal. CNN.
  36. Goldberg. Carrie. January 20, 2021. Ella Emhoff Wears Miu Miu and Batsheva to the Inauguration. Harper's Bazaar.
  37. Web site: About . 2024-08-21 . Ella Emhoff . en-US.