When Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn into office on January 20, all eyes were on the former senator’s family. That included her 21-year-old stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, a bright and unique design college senior with a flare for fashion. Flash forward a few months, and Ella graduated from The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York City! In addition to her educational achievements, she signed with prestigious NYC based IMG Models, which also reps supermodels including Gisele Bundchen, Gigi Hadid and sister Bella Hadid. Check out five things to know about Ella, including where she got that mesmerizing coat from Inauguration Day:
1. Ella’s Stepmother Is Vice President Kamala Harris
Or “Momala,” as she calls her. Ella is the daughter of Doug Emhoff, Vice President Harris’ husband of seven years. She and her brother, Cole Emhoff, have eagerly spoken about their love for their stepmother while campaigning during her presidential (and then vice presidential) run. “To my brother and me, you’ll always be Momala, the world’s greatest stepmom,” Ella said while introducing Harris at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Her father and stepmother got together when Ella was a senior in high school.
2. Ella Is A Student At Parsons School Of Design
Ella studies textiles at the prestigious New York City institution, and shares many of her impressive works on her Instagram page. She specializes in knitwear, which she took up as a way to combat anxiety, she told Garage in November 2020. She’s set to graduate with her degree in spring 2021, and is currently hard at work on her thesis. After college? She’s hoping to build her own clothing brand.
3. Ella Wore Miu Miu And Batsheva Hay At The 2021 Inauguration
That fabulous houndstooth coat bedazzled with orange jewels on the shoulders and a very Ruth Bader Ginsburg-esque collar? That was Miu Miu, of course. She accessorized with black leather gloves and round wire glasses, and pulled her hair back with a matching headband. Underneath, she wore a modest, burgundy dress featuring a high neckline and puffed sleeves and a ruffled hem from Batsheva. Wearing the designer one day was on her mood board, Ella told Vogue.
“My mood board was very ‘little girl,” in a sense, a lot of scalloped collars and big silhouette shoulders and small buttons,” Ella explained. “I was going for something girlier, to embrace my feminine side—especially after that suit that I felt so great in—because, like, how many times do you prepare yourself to attend an inauguration? This momentous of an event deserves a momentous outfit.”
4. Ella Knits Her Own Clothing
When she’s not wearing Miu Miu, of course. Ella’s Instagram page is full of her delightful designs, which are made from scraps of old clothing and cheery, rainbow yarn. Ella’s latest creation was a hand-knit Tweety Bird purse with pink trim, along with a blue and black striped maxi dress with spaghetti straps that she also knit herself. Another notable creation? A crocheted, lime green bikini top with a matching bag and bucket hat.
5. Ella Does Her Own Tattoos
No, really. Ella revealed recently that she learned how to tattoo because she got “bored” during quarantine. She’s already given herself some stick-and-poke ink to match the art she already had — a cow and a birthday cake. “I did the classic: I did my dog’s name, and I did a little flower. [Then] I recently did my first big boy: [a] salmon fish with a flower hanging out of its mouth. It’s super fun. I don’t think it’s something I would ever want to pursue [professionally], but it’s fun to just do it to yourself or do it to a friend,” she said in her Garage interview.