Kendall Jenner

Model Kendall Jenner was born in the city of Los Angeles in California on November 3rd, 1995. She was the first child of businesswoman and TV personality Kris Jenner (maiden name Houghton) and former champion at Olympics decathlon, Caitlyn Jenner (who was called Bruce Jenner at that time, before she transitioned from a male to a female).

Interestingly, her parents gave the middle name Nicole to Jenner in memory of the late Nicole Brown Simpson, who was the best friend of Kris Jenner.

Kylie is Kendall’s younger sister. Additionally, Kendall has eight half-siblings older than her. From her mother’s earlier marriage, Rob, Khloé, Kourtney, and Kim, from Caityln’s earlier marriage, Casey Marino, Brody, Burt, and Brandon. The well-known television series called Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ (KUWTK) follows the lives of Jenner’s family. This reality tv show has earned much popularity for the Jenner-Kardashian family members over the years.

She grew up in the upscale suburb of Calabasas and went to the Sierra Canyon School before getting homeschooled so that she could pursue her career in modeling.

Beginning of Modeling Career

Kendall Jenner began her career in the entertainment industry in 2007 with Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality tv show on the cable network known as E!, which garnered her much fame and limelight. Later on, Jenner was featured in different spin-offs of this series. Namely, Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami, Khloé & Lamar, and Kourtney and Kim Take New York.

With this hit series to her name, Jenner signed with Wilhelmina Models talent and modeling agency at an impressively early age of 14 on July 12th, 2009. This was the beginning of this brunette supermodel’s long and successful modeling career. Soon enough, by December 2009, she landed her first assignment in the modeling world for the famous fashion retailer of America, Forever 21, for their campaign called Rocker Babes with a Twist.

But Kendall’s real encouragement came during the photoshoot of the KUWTK season 6, where she was told to try for a professional modeling career. In 2011, she made appearances in Teen Vogue and OK! Magazine and made her runway model debut for the prom dress line of Sheri Hill. Kendall also modeled for Forever 21’s Hello Kitty Launch. Again in 2011, Kendall and Kylie Jenner were given the title of Style Stars of 2011 by Seventeen Magazine.

In 2012, the brunette model got her first cover shoot for American Cheerleader magazine. 2013 was when both the sisters started designing a clothing line called Kendall & Kylie for PacSun. The same year, Kendall moved on to high fashion by signing with Society Management based in New York City. The model also appeared in Miss Vogue Australia and landed the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.

Although things seemed to progress pretty steadily for this supermodel, there was a hiccup on her way to success. Her success in the KUWTK series as a reality star was the reason why no one was taking her seriously. In an interview, she mentioned that appearing on reality tv made it where she had to put in double the hard work to find a favorable outcome as a high fashion model. Her name was keeping her from being cast at different places. In a 2019 interview with Vogue Australia, Kendall confirmed that success in this field didn’t come easily to her, contrary to people’s beliefs.

Breaking Into High Fashion

This supermodel’s breakthrough into high fashion came with the Autumn Winter 2014 show of Marc Jacobs, who is a prominent designer based in New York City. Katie Grand was responsible for casting Kendall in this fashion show, which gave the model the push that she required for an international platform. Before the walk, she had just turned 18 and donned a see-through top for the show that made her catch headlines easily. Now she was a bonafide model and no longer seen as a reality star.

Soon enough, more bookings came this brunette model’s way in runway and print, which is evident from her walk the same year for Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel (at Paris Fashion Week), and Balmain, among others. This stunning model also starred in the campaign for Givenchy for the fall-winter 2014 season, which was shot by renowned photographers Mert & Marcus.

She also made to the cover of LOVE and Interview and became an official ambassador of Estée Lauder. 2014 also marked the year when Kendall covered the Vogue US’ coveted September issue. She would cover Teen Vogue that year too., another great step for her modeling career.

The following year, this brunette beauty found herself walking for Marc Jacobs the second time and also for Fendi, Vera Wang, and Alexander Wang, among others. Jenner continued to cover magazines in 2015 in the USA and other countries. Additionally, she became the face of the Calvin Klein Jeans campaign called #MyCalvins. Moreover, her first walk for the runway show for Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show took place in 2015.

The Road to Supermodel

On her way to becoming a supermodel, Kendall shot covers and editorials for major international magazines like Vanity Fair, Vogue Brazil, and V Magazine in 2016. In fact, the April 2016 issue of Vogue contained a special supplement edition dedicated to her. The supermodel landed in her first controversy in April 2017 when appearing in Pepsi’s Live For Now ad campaign. But she recovered from it to continue on her path to success.

Throughout the years, Jenner appeared in several international publications that include the covers for Paper, Allure, Garage, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue (International Editions). She also served as brand ambassador for several multimedia-based ad campaigns for Lauder. She has walked the runway for Chanel Haute Couture, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Prada, and Fendi.

Among other achievements in her modeling career, Kendall has walked in prominent fashion events like Milan Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, and NYFW. The supermodel was named the 16th most highest paid model in 2015, and then the world’s highest paid model in 2018 by Forbes Magazine. In 2021, during a KUWTK reunion special she said, “I went to every single casting and ran all over not only New York city but also all over Europe trying to, you know, get a job and make my way.”

Social Media

Social media is the go-to platform for this model to build her career and popularity. This is evident from the overwhelming number of followers of Kendall on Instagram over time. This was first observed when in 2015, Lauder announced her as the brand’s new face primarily because of the influence she had on the social media platform. During this announcement, brand president (global) for Lauder, Jane Hertzmark Hudis, praised the supermodel for her reach and called her the ultimate Instagirl. She also mentioned her ability to influence many young women across the world using her powerful messages on the social media platform.

She even became an inspiration for other supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. Even her close friend, Gigi Hadid (another supermodel), started understanding the importance of social media for growing her career. This platform adds to their fanbase for such supermodels and provides them the opportunities to explore unknown talent.

In 2018, Jenner had already surpassed other models to become the most popular, with an impressive 143.5 million followers on platforms including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. By 2019, she became Instagram’s 12th most followed personality due to her modeling career and fame.

Love Life

A list of athletes and musicians have found a place in the gorgeous brunette’s heart over the years. However, the supermodel prefers keeping her love life undercover and has been vocal about not making her private life open to the public. She has been linked to Harry Styles, Nick Jonas, Ben Simmons, and most recently, NBA player Devin Booker, confirming their relationship through Instagram on Valentine’s Day in 2021.

Acting & Other Career Moves

Apart from her modeling career, Kendall has made a cameo in Ocean’s 8 movie, was cast in the Blacklight video of One Call, made an appearance in an episode of Hawaii Five-0, has worked behind the lens in the form of a photographer shooting Kaia Gerber for LOVE Magazine, and co-authored Rebels: City of Indra with her sister, Kylie Jenner. Apart from a designer clothing line and signature lipstick on the business front, Jenner has also started her own tequila company called the 818 Tequila.

Kendall makes generous donations and has opened up an eBay account to auction her old clothes to fund the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Her group of celebrity friends includes models Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Hailey Bieber, and Alessandra Ambrosio. She also hangs out with Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, Derek Blasberg, Miley Cyrus, and French Montana, among others.