Name: Karlie Elizabeth Kloss
Age: 34
Birthday: August 3, 1992
Born: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Net Worth: Approximately $40 million
Fun Fact: A trained ballet dancer, Karlie Kloss took a coding class in 2014 and loved it so much she founded Kode With Klossy, which has since taught coding to thousands of girls.
Karlie Kloss has spent nearly two decades turning a midwestern teenage modeling discovery into one of fashion’s most successful multi-hyphenate careers. The former Victoria’s Secret Angel, entrepreneur, and philanthropist — back in the news this month after a surprise public reunion with longtime friend Taylor Swift at a Kansas City Chiefs game — has an estimated net worth of approximately $40 million as of 2026. That figure is entirely her own, built through runway contracts, lucrative beauty and fashion campaigns, and a growing media and technology portfolio assembled far beyond the catwalk.
Unlike many models who depend on a single agency paycheck, Kloss has diversified her income across modeling, endorsements, coding education, media ownership, and startup investing. Her career is a case study in how a famous face can become a self-sustaining brand — and why her name keeps resurfacing as one of the most financially savvy figures in fashion.
From Ballet Studios in St. Louis to the World’s Biggest Runways
Karlie Elizabeth Kloss was born on August 3, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois, to Kurt Kloss, an emergency physician, and Tracy Kloss, a freelance art director. When she was young, the family relocated to the St. Louis, Missouri, area, where Karlie trained in classical ballet at Caston’s Ballet Academy. That early dance training gave her the posture, poise, and discipline that would later define her famous runway walk. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall, she also possessed the striking, long-limbed proportions that top designers covet.
Her breakthrough arrived remarkably early. At just 14, she was discovered at a charity fashion show and signed with Elite Model Management. Her New York Fashion Week debut was a statement in itself — she walked more than 30 shows in a single season, exclusively for names like Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, and Carolina Herrera. By 2009, Vogue Paris named her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s, an extraordinary distinction for a teenager. She soon became a fixture in advertising campaigns for Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Elie Saab, and Donna Karan, and she signed on as a face of L’Oréal Paris, one of the most lucrative beauty contracts in the industry.
Timeline: Karlie Kloss’s Rise from Teen Discovery to Global Supermodel
Kloss’s path from runway newcomer to business owner unfolded with unusual momentum.
2006–2007: Discovered at a charity fashion show in the St. Louis area and signed to Elite Model Management at age 14.
2009: Vogue Paris names her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s, cementing her status as a rising star.
2011–2015: Becomes a Victoria’s Secret Angel, walking in the brand’s televised fashion shows and reportedly earning around $5 million during her Angel tenure.
2015: Leaves Victoria’s Secret to study at New York University’s Gallatin School and launches Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit offering free coding camps to young women.
2018: Marries venture capitalist Joshua Kushner in an intimate October ceremony; the couple now has three children.
2019: Hosts the revival season of Project Runway, adding television hosting to her résumé.
2023: Acquires the influential fashion publication i-D magazine from Vice Media through her company Bedford Media, marking her move into media ownership.
How Karlie Kloss Built Her $40 Million Fortune
Kloss’s wealth rests on more than her famous face. Modeling remains the foundation: as one of the most in-demand runway and campaign models of the 2010s, she commanded top-tier fees from luxury houses and regularly ranked among the industry’s highest earners. Reports indicate she made roughly $5 million during her time as an official Victoria’s Secret Angel, and her long-running work with brands such as L’Oréal Paris, Dior, and Oscar de la Renta kept endorsement income flowing for years after she stepped back from the runway.
Her brand value also extends to her own name. With millions of followers across Instagram and other platforms, Kloss has turned her personal brand into a marketing asset, partnering on campaigns and collaborations that command premium rates. That reach, combined with her behind-the-scenes business acumen, is what separates her from models who rely solely on booking fees.
The bigger story, however, is her pivot into entrepreneurship. In 2015, after taking a coding class at New York’s Flatiron School, she founded Kode With Klossy to help close the gender gap in technology. What began with 21 scholarships — a program that drew more than 600 applications in its first wave — has grown into a nationwide nonprofit providing free, two-week coding camps to girls and non-binary teens. The initiative has reached thousands of young scholars and earned Kloss a spot on the TIME 100 list for her philanthropic work, adding a purpose-driven layer to her public profile.
Kloss has also become a serious investor and media owner. Through Bedford Media, she bought i-D magazine in 2023 as Vice Media was shedding assets, and she has reportedly worked alongside her husband to acquire the rights to relaunch other legacy print titles. As an angel investor, she has backed consumer and technology startups, adding equity stakes to a portfolio that already includes her own ventures.
It is worth noting that Kloss’s personal net worth is frequently conflated with her husband’s. Joshua Kushner, founder and managing partner of the venture firm Thrive Capital and the younger brother of Jared Kushner, is a billionaire in his own right, with Forbes placing his wealth in the multi-billion-dollar range. But the roughly $40 million figure attached to Karlie Kloss reflects her own independent earnings and holdings — a distinction that matters when measuring how much of her fortune is truly self-made.
Where Karlie Kloss Stands Today
In 2026, Kloss is far more than a supermodel — she is a mother of three, a media executive, and a tech-education advocate. She and Joshua Kushner married in 2018 and share sons Levi Joseph and Elijah Jude, as well as a daughter, Rae Florence, born in September 2025. The family divides its time between New York and other residences, and Kloss remains a regular presence at fashion weeks and industry gatherings.
Her name returned to the front pages in November 2026 when she was photographed alongside Taylor Swift at a Kansas City Chiefs game, appearing to put years of rumored distance between the former best friends behind them. The reunion reignited public curiosity about Kloss’s life, her business moves, and — inevitably — her finances.
What’s Next for Karlie Kloss
Kloss shows no signs of slowing down. With Bedford Media, she is positioned to expand her influence across fashion publishing, and her ongoing work with Kode With Klossy continues to grow her legacy in education and philanthropy. As the media landscape consolidates and she leans further into ownership and investing, observers expect her net worth to keep climbing — especially if her publishing ventures gain traction under her editorial leadership.
The Bottom Line
Karlie Kloss’s net worth of approximately $40 million reflects nearly two decades of elite modeling, smart brand partnerships, and a deliberate transition into entrepreneurship and media ownership. From a ballet studio in Missouri to the covers of Vogue and the boardrooms of Bedford Media, she has built a diversified fortune that extends far beyond the runway. At 34, with a growing media empire and a purpose-driven nonprofit behind her, her most lucrative chapters may still be ahead.
