Kendall Nicole Jenner was born November 3, 1995 and is an American model and media personality. She is best known for her role in the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
After working in commercial print ad campaigns and photoshoots, Jenner had breakout seasons in 2014 and 2015, walking the runways for high-fashion designers during the New York, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks. Jenner has done multiple editorials and cover shoots for LOVE and various international Vogue editions, walked for Victoria’s Secret, and acts as brand ambassador for Estée Lauder’s multimedia ad campaigns.
Jenner was born in Los Angeles, California, to retired Olympic decathlete champion Caitlyn Jenner and television personality Kris Jenner. Jenner’s middle name was a tribute to Kris’ best friend Nicole Brown Simpson, who died just before Jenner was conceived.
Jenner was raised in a stepfamily with a younger sister, Kylie, and eight half siblings. Jenner is half sister to Burt and Casey Lynn Jenner through Caitlyn and first wife Christie Crownover. Through Caitlyn and second wife Linda Thompson, Jenner is half sister to indie pop singer Brandon and The Hills actor Sam “Brody” Jenner. Through Kris, Jenner is half sister to reality television celebrities Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian.
Jenner was raised with her sister and the Kardashians in Calabasas, an upscale suburb west of Los Angeles. Jenner attended Sierra Canyon School before switching to homeschooling in order to pursue modeling. She graduated in 2014.
She began modeling at age 14 when Wilhelmina Models signed her on July 12, 2009. Cinematographer Nick Saglimbeni directed the photoshoot for Jenner’s Wilhelmina portfolio. Jenner’s first modeling job was the Rocker Babes with a Twist campaign for Forever 21 in December 2009 and January 2010. Jenner featured in a Teen Vogue Snapshot on April 19, 2010. In September 2011, Jenner walked for Sherri Hill during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. By the end of 2012, Jenner had covers on American Cheerleader, Teen Prom, Looks, Raine, GenLux, Lovecat and Flavour Magazine. She also booked campaigns for White Sands Australia, Leah Madden and Agua Bendita.
In November 2012, Jenner teamed with Victoria’s Secret photographer Russell James for editorial work and joint projects. Over the course of 2013 and 2014, their work together surfaced in Kurv, Miss Vogue Australia, and Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. Jenner was featured in James’ Nomad Two Worlds: Australia book launches in Sydney and Los Angeles. Jenner’s editorial work signaled a change of direction to high fashion, and Jenner signed with The Society Management on November 21, 2013.
Jenner walked her first Society Management bookings for Marc Jacobs, Giles Deacon, Givenchy, Chanel, Donna Karan, Diane von Fürstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Fendi, Ports 1961, Bottega Veneta, Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana; Sonia Rykiel, and Balmain. Jenner participated in two Chanel public relations events in 2014: one, a feminist rally-themed Chanel event; and two, the company’s Metiers D’Art in Salzburg. Jenner shot covers and editorials for Interview, LOVE and Teen Vogue. Jenner was cast in campaigns for Givenchy and a December-themed LOVE advent calendar promotion with Doug Inglish. In November 2014, Jenner became an official Estée Lauder representative.
In 2016, Jenner and Cara Delevingne were recreated as wax figures for Madame Tussaud’s London Fashion Week Experience event. Jenner walked for Chanel, Diane Von Fürstenberg, Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Versace, Bottega Veneta, Balmain, Dior, Elie Saab, and Miu Miu. Jenner shot covers and editorials in Vogue Brazil, W Korea, LOVE, Vanity Fair, V, Self Service Magazine, and Harper’s Bazaar. Jenner had campaign features for Mango, CPS Chaps, Calvin Klein, Rock The Vote/Independent Journal Review, and Denimlab.
Jenner’s 2017 campaign for La Perla caused some controversy when she had to cancel a previously scheduled appearance as a Victoria’s Secret model due to her new affiliation with La Perla.
The rapid ascension of the Instagirls has accelerated a decade-long reassessment of the interaction between fashion and mass consumption. Jenner’s adeptness at connecting with Millennials online has given her access to a large demographic market, with the ability to segment her fanbase and find ideal clients. Designer Sally LaPorte claimed Jenner’s approval of her line helped the designer key into the particulars of her ideal buyers. Former Calvin Klein Women’s Creative Director Francisco Costa praised Jenner’s social cachet because her social media reach is incredible and as a house, you become part of the culture by embracing someone like her.
Jenner’s ongoing participation in Calvin Klein promotions have proven to be profitable, as parent company the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation announced a 13% increase in net sales over the previous year’s 1st quarter on May 26, 2016.
Other brands have adapted in unique ways to the impact of high-profile influencers on their promotional efforts. Dear Frances footwear brand creative Jane Frances engineered an open-door branding strategy in such a way that her brand is able to successfully do promotional work either with or without influencer input. European ice cream company Magnum moved aggressively into online branding initiatives by featuring Suki Waterhouse and Jenner as company spokesmodels. Even in the absence of a sponsorship deal, Kendall’s fashion choices can have massive impact, as seen by now cult fashion brand Rat & Boa who saw an enormous boost to sales when Jenner wore a pair of their shorts at the Coachella festival.
In the midst of these changes, tech entrepreneur Frank Spadafora designed his company’s D’Marie app as a fashion industry-specific Q Score alternative in order to effectively measure the monetary imprint fashion influencers and brand ambassadors are able to attain. The app’s deployment worked to Jenner’s advantage; she ranked as D’Marie’s #1 fashion influencer across all categories as of February 19, 2016, with the ability to earn between US$125,000 and US$300,000 for a single update to her social media platforms.
Jenner set up an eBay account where she auctions old clothing to raise money for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The Kardashian and Jenner sisters used eBay in this way to raise money for their charities in 2013. Jenner joined her family in a charity yard sale on November 2013. Proceeds from the sale were donation-matched and sent to Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry and the Greater Los Angeles Fisher House Foundation. Jenner and Kim Kardashian attended a Christmas Eve visit with the kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on December 2013. Jenner joined Khloe Kardashian, Lil Twist, and The Game at PINZ bowling alley in Studio City, California, for a charity bowling game on January 2014. The event was held to raise money for The Robin Hood Foundation, a nonprofit for which The Game pledged to raise US$1 million in donations. The Jenner sisters participated in singer Chris Brown’s two Kick’n It For Charity Celebrity Kickball games in Glendale, California, on July 2014 and on August 2014. On February 2015, Jenner appeared at Marc Jacobs’ Bookmarc store in New York City for the launch of Love issue 13. She posed in a limited-edition T-shirt sale to raise proceeds for Designers Against AIDS.
