When your mother is a supermodel, going into the family business means you’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. For Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber, well, she’s been following in her mom’s footsteps for quite some time now and it looks like the shoes fit perfectly! And while her mom most certainly has impacted her career, the 19-year-old says that another supermodel sparked the dream of walking the catwalk, Naomi Campbell.
Campbell has mentored many younger models in the industry including Kaia. “Naomi has always championed authentic relationships with designers, editors, photographers, et cetera, and has always encouraged me to do the same,” Kaia told Vogue about Campbell.
“I’m very proud of Kaia,” the veteran model told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in 2018. “I sat with her and her mother at Azzedine Alaïa’s… and we sat on the kitchen table and we just went through all the shows she should do and shouldn’t do at the moment, ’cause she’s a baby. She has followed everything!”
Being one of Campbell’s mentees is a big deal and something that the supermodel doesn’t take lightly. She sees something in Kaia that is special, and that talent was recognized early on. Crawford even had to hold her daughter back from diving into the business too early. “It was a good thing that she couldn’t work on the runway until she was 16,” Crawford told Net-A-Porter. “There are laws about that. After that, I couldn’t really hold her back.”
Crawford knows that nepotism does come into play just a little bit and has been of course happy to have some influence in her daughter’s career. “As far as being a mother of two young people going into fashion, of course, I worry,” Crawford told Town & Country. “But let’s be honest. My kids are blessed in that business because they aren’t coming in as unknowns. People know that I will come after them if they mess with my kids.”
And Campbell will also be watching out for Gerber. “Naomi navigates this world well,” Gerber said to Vogue. “She sets an incredible example for others to follow.”
The admiration is definitely mutual between mentor and mentee. “She’s willing, giving and generous in what she’s doing, so she’s perfect,” Campbell revealed to The Love Magazine. “That’s what you have to do, what you need to be a great model. And she has got everything to be a great model, so she’s on her way.”
Before you go, click here to see other supermodel kids following in their parent’s footsteps.
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