| Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck | |||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Maria Lara Cosima Gräfin Henckel von Donnersmarck | ||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 17 May 2003 | ||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Florida, United States | ||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Social Media Content Creator; Fashion Influencer; Model | ||||||||||||
| Alma Mater: | Parsons School of Design ESMOD | ||||||||||||
| Parents: | Count Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Christiane Asschenfeldt | ||||||||||||
| Family: | Henckel von Donnersmarck | ||||||||||||
| Relatives: | Count Leo-Ferdinand Henckel von Donnersmarck (grandfather) Countess Anna-Maria von Berg (grandmother) | ||||||||||||
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Countess Maria Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck (born May 17, 2003), known as Lara Cosima, is a German-American model, socialite, and social media influencer. In 2023, she was selected to open Le Bal des débutantes in Paris, where she was presented as a debutante. She made her modeling debut in 2024 at Paris Fashion Week.
Henckel von Donnersmarck was born on 17 May 2003 in Florida.[1] Her parents are film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Christiane Asschenfeldt, a lawyer and the first International Executive Director of Creative Commons.[2] Henckel von Donnersmarck grew up primarily in Los Angeles, California.[3] [4]
She is a member of the House of Henckel von Donnersmarck, an Austro-Hungarian noble family. She is the granddaughter of Count Leo-Ferdinand Henckel von Donnersmarck, a former president of the German division of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and Countess Anna-Maria von Berg, a left-wing political activist. Her granduncle, Count Gregor Henckel Donnersmarck, is a Catholic priest and the Abbot Emeritus of Heiligenkreuz Abbey.[5] Her great-grandfather, Count Friedrich-Carl Henckel von Donnersmarck, was a Polish scholastic philosopher and landowner whose castle, Schloss Romolkwitz, was burned down by the Soviet Army during the flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II.[3] She is a great-great granddaughter of the industrialist Count Edwin Henckel von Donnersmarck.
Since Fall of 2022, Henckel von Donnersmarck has been studying fashion design at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan.[6] [7] She spent two consecutive summers interning for Dior's haute couture division in Paris. While in Paris, she also enrolled at ESMOD.[8] She amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram by creating edits of her student life in New York and by posting "GRWM" videos in Paris. By December 2023, her videos had been viewed over 100 million times.[9] [10] [11] Henckel von Donnersmarck received both admiration and criticism online for her videos, showcasing a luxurious Parisian life, and was accused by some viewers of being a "nepo baby."[12] [13] [14] In 2023 and 2024, false accusations circulated on social media platforms that Henckel von Donnersmarck's family had aided the Nazis during World War II.[15]
In November 2023, Henckel von Donnersmarck was presented to society at Le Bal des débutantes in Paris.[16] [17] For the occasion, she was dressed in a gown by Jean Paul Gaultier and the Couteulx floral diamond tiara designed by Guillot, made from the jewelry collection of Baron Jacques-Jean Le Couteulx and Baroness Geneviève-Sophie Le Couteulx.[18] She was selected to open the ball, dancing a waltz with her father.[19] [20] She was officially escorted by Archduke Károly Konstantin von Habsburg, son of Archduke Georg von Habsburg and Duchess Eilika zu Oldenburg.[21] The ball raised funds for the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital and the World Central Kitchen.
In January 2024, Henckel von Donnersmarck walked in a show at Paris Fashion Week.[22]