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“I grew up around very strong women who inspired me. This new wave of feminism has brought a unity of purpose that I’ve never seen before. At work I’ve noticed a thousand ways in which women have really started to support and help each other and join forces.” Kaia Gerber resembles her supermodel mother Cindy Crawford in more ways than one: Not only is she brainy and beautiful, but she’s also bringing her dreams to life as a successful model with a bright future ahead of her. 

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While she may not even be old enough to have a legal drink yet, but Kaia Gerber is already making a name for herself in the world of fashion. Here’s a closer look at the exciting life of this travel-loving teen, who's been hailed as "the baby supermodel" to watch by global fashion editors. 

Winning the Genetic Lottery

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Kaia Gerber was born on September 3, 2001 in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and model-turned-businessman Rande Gerber,  it’s hardly a surprise that Kaia, too, ended up in the world of modeling, after landing her first job at the age of 10 for Young Versace. At the time of her hiring, Donatella Versace said, "Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift. The camera really, really loves her."  (Kaia’s older brother, Presley Gerber, is also a model.)

Kaia’s career took off quickly. At 13, she signed a modeling contract with IMG Models, and has since amassed an extensive resume that includes appearances in top magazines like Vogue, Pop Magazine, and Teen Vogue. She’s also walked the runways for many top designers and fashion houses, such as Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Coach, Prada, Fendi, Moschino, Chanel and Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein Collection. As if all of this wasn’t enough, Kaia has also been in a movie, Sister Cities. 

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Wondering what it was like to grow up as the daughter of one of the world’s biggest bombshells? Kaia is quick to note that while her mother may be a legend to other people, she sees her differently -- despite having been “enchanted” by her beauty as a child.  “You won’t believe it, but when I was little I didn’t know she was famous. I didn’t even know she was a model. For me she was just my mum, and it’s still a bit like that today. Sure, she’s got her life, but she’s one of those people who succeeds in never bringing her work home with her. Home is home, and work is work. This small, simple rule has always made us a very close-knit family,” Kaia told Vogue Italia. 

Still, Kaia’s childhood was hardly “normal,” and she has fond feelings toward her mother’s fellow 1980s- and 1990s-era supermodels, including Naomi Cambell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Claudia Schiffer.  “I grew up with them. They encouraged and supported me before I even knew who they were for everyone else. Again, it was thanks to those photography books that I started to connect the dots and understand. The fact is, like my mother they were also different in private. They kept their feet firmly on the ground, and that’s a quality I greatly admire,” Kaia says. 

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From Model’s Daughter to Model in Her Own Right

2018 was an especially monumental year in Kaia’s budding career. Not only did she strut the Spring Fashion Week runway alongside her famous mom while also leading the Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance campaign with fellow model Sodia Mechetner, she also received The Fashion Awards’ Model of the Year award and made headlines for having more social media followers than the likes of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. 

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That same year, Kaia created her first collection, KarlxKaia, a collaboration with iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfield -- all while still taking online high school classes, including AP calculus. (She take after her model mom in this area, too; Crawford was a chemical engineering major at Northwestern University before dropping out to pursue a full-time modeling career.)

And then there’s the fact that 2018 also saw the realization of one of Kaia's biggest dreams. “One of my dreams is coming true now with the cover of Vogue Italia. When I was 13, I did a shoot with Steven Meisel for this magazine and I felt a very powerful sensation. Sooner or later, I thought… And here I am. It’s been a great return, like closing the circle,” she said. 

Kaia’s good looks may be attributable to her genetics, but designer Miuccia Prada credits Kaia’s success to her own passion and ambition. “She’s certainly inspired by her mother’s career and success, but she has turned it into something all of her own, and that’s really remarkable. Kaia manages to express that distinctively joyful ands beautiful mood of the 1980s in a contemporary way,” reveals Prada.

So what does Kaia herself have to say about how quickly she’s become a household name at such a young age? “The only way to face such tough changes is to tackle one thing at a time and not dwell on things too much. The first shows were very exciting. I’m learning a lot from being around other models and seeing how they work and move,” she says. 

And while her modeling career may take her all over the world and away from her family, Kaia lives by the saying, “Home is where the heart is.” She told Vogue Italia, “Let’s say that while I’m traveling, my home is mainly inside the telephone, thanks to Facetime. Having video access to my family has changed my life, because even if our schedules are totally messed up – with me going to bed on the other side of the world while my family is getting up and gathering around the table for breakfast – it makes me feel as if I were there drinking coffee with them. Sometimes I leave the phone on while I’m sleeping so I can hear the sounds of their day.”

In addition to her family, Kaia also leans on A-lister friendships with everyone from Kendall Jenner to Karlie Kloss. She told Teen Vogue of the latter, "She's broken all the rules of what a model should be and uses her platform to benefit others. Plus we've met a bunch of times, and she's one of the nicest people ever. All my icons I look up to as people, not just their work."  Most teens have no idea where they’ll be in 20 years. However, Kaia Gerber does offer an interesting perspective when asked what the future may hold for her.  “I think most 16-year-olds don't know what they're going to do with their life, but as long as I'm enjoying what I'm doing in the moment then, I will just continue to roll with it and see where it takes me. I hope to be in a happy place, doing something that I love,” she told L’Officiel.