Karlie Kloss

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Karlie Kloss – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes


Explore the remarkable journey of Karlie Kloss—American supermodel, tech advocate, entrepreneur, and mentor. Learn about her early life, modeling rise, philanthropy, influence, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Karlie Kloss is a multifaceted figure in the modern era: a supermodel, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and STEM advocate. While known initially for her success in fashion, she has leveraged her platform to champion coding education, women in tech, and media innovation. Her story blends beauty, intelligence, and purpose, making her not just a face in magazines, but a voice in change.

Early Life and Family

Karlie Elizabeth Kloss was born on August 3, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Her mother is Tracy Kloss (née Fares), a freelance art director, and her father Kurt Kloss, an emergency physician. She has three sisters: an older sister Kristine and twin younger sisters Kimberly and Kariann.

When she was about two years old, her family moved from Chicago to St. Louis, Missouri, where she grew up. From an early age, Kloss studied dance, especially ballet, which she later credited with giving her body awareness, grace, and control—skills that would prove invaluable on the runway.

Youth, Education, and Formative Influences

Kloss attended Webster Groves High School in Missouri, from which she graduated in 2011.

Even while modeling, she prioritized education. In 2015, she enrolled in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.

Her dance and ballet training helped her develop a sense of movement, posture, and physical storytelling—elements she often mentions as foundational to her modeling technique.

Modeling Career and Achievements

Discovery and Early Modeling

Kloss was discovered in St. Louis at a local benefit fashion show in her early teens. She signed with Elite Model Management early in her career and later transitioned to NEXT Model Management. By her mid teens, she was walking major runways, setting the stage for a meteoric rise.

Breakthrough & Victoria’s Secret

From 2011 through 2014, Kloss walked in multiple Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows and eventually became a Victoria’s Secret Angel (2013–2015). During her time with Victoria’s Secret, she gained widespread visibility and became known not just for her physical presence but for her professionalism, elegance, and consistency.

Expansion & Beyond

After stepping back from Victoria’s Secret, Kloss diversified her endeavors:

  • She launched Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit coding camp that empowers young women to learn programming and tech skills.

  • She has been involved in media acquisitions and leadership: in 2023 she acquired British fashion magazine i-D from Vice Media and became its CEO, and later revived Life magazine in collaboration with her husband.

  • She served as host on Project Runway.

  • She has built a reputation as someone who bridges fashion, media, business, and social impact.

Kloss is also an investor in Seed (a probiotics company) and has sat on boards and boards of trustees (e.g. Barnard College) to influence education, media, and youth support.

Themes, Style & Influence

Blending Beauty with Purpose

One of Kloss’s distinguishing traits is that she did not remain inside the fashion bubble. She used her visibility to advocate for STEM education, gender equity in tech, and access to opportunity. Her brand is not just aesthetic but meaningful.

Empowerment Through Education

Through Kode With Klossy, she has empowered thousands of girls to access coding, tech, and digital literacy. This initiative reinforces that models (or public figures in general) can be conduits for social change.

Reinvention & Diversification

Kloss’s transition from “supermodel” to media executive, investor, educator, and philanthropist underscores her adaptability and ambition. She does not rest on past success but pushes forward to new arenas.

Legacy and Influence

Karlie Kloss’s legacy may well lie in her dual impact:

  • In fashion, she remains a model of professionalism, longevity, and elegance.

  • In tech and social impact, she has opened doors for girls typically underrepresented in STEM, showing them that coding, mathematics, and digital skills are accessible.

  • In media, her moves into acquiring magazines and shaping editorial direction suggest she wants a lasting voice in culture, not just as a face but as a force.

Because of her example, younger models and influencers see that they need not be pigeonholed — they can cross industries, leverage platform for purpose, and become change agents.

Personality, Approach & Philosophy

Kloss often speaks about resilience, discipline, and self-trust. She emphasizes that success comes from consistency, humility, and a willingness to learn.

She also discusses the need to develop thick skin in a world where public scrutiny is intense:

“You have to grow thick skin and that only comes with time and learning.”

Her approach is pragmatic yet hopeful — acknowledging that beauty and success attract criticism, but believing that those with purpose can transcend.

Another recurring motif is movement as storytelling:

“You learn to control every aspect of your muscles, your face, your toes, your fingernails. And that is how you tell a story, through movement.”

She also expresses gratitude toward her support systems:

“I am very lucky to be surrounded and guided by an incredible support team comprised of my family and agents.”

Famous Quotes by Karlie Kloss

Here are some representative quotes:

  • “You have to grow thick skin and that only comes with time and learning.”

  • “You learn to control every aspect of your muscles, your face, your toes, your fingernails. And that is how you tell a story, through movement.”

  • “Doors opened for me and I ran for it.”

  • “Whenever I have even a spare second, I’m in the kitchen whipping up a batch of cookies. I make a mean batch of chocolate chippers.”

  • “Ballet really taught me so much about the power of movement.”

  • “I have a necklace with a golden key, given to me by my sisters, which I always wear.”

These speak to her discipline, humility, creativity, and grounded personal side.

Lessons from Karlie Kloss

  • Leverage your platform for good. Fame can be more than a personal brand — it can be used to uplift, educate, and empower.

  • Keep learning. Whether it’s code, business, or media, she demonstrates that reinvention comes through continuous education.

  • Discipline and consistency matter. Her model success was built on steady work, physical discipline, and reliability.

  • Resilience is essential. Public scrutiny is inevitable — building mental strength is key.

  • Balance matters. She balances glamour with purpose, edu activism with media and business — not in silos but as parts of a whole identity.

Conclusion

Karlie Kloss is not just a supermodel — she is a modern role model for multidimensional success. Her journey from runway to boardroom, from modeling to tech education, is instructive: success need not be one-dimensional. She shows that combining passion, purpose, and perseverance can extend a career far beyond one realm.