Kaia Gerber followed in the footsteps of her celebrity parent
In 2000, one of the world’s most beautiful women, Cindy Crawford, announced her retirement from modeling. No more runway shows, commercials, or magazine covers; she was starting a new life as a loving mother, wife, and homemaker. But the fashion world wasn’t about to let her go so easily. Eleven years later, Crawford’s name resurfaced in the press when her little lookalike, daughter Kaia Gerber, appeared on the scene.
“I don’t want her to feel like she’s competing with me.”
Kaia isn’t lying; her childhood was completely different from that of her peers. She never forgot that her mother was Cindy Crawford. Every now and then, as a little girl, Kaia would catch a glimpse of her mother’s photos, and not always of her in drag.
Cindy herself never ignored or denied her past. On the contrary, she tried to instill in her children that everything they saw was normal and nothing to be ashamed of. At one point, the top model even hung some of her best works in her home.
“For me, it was art,” Kaiya explained. “It wasn’t vulgar, it wasn’t objectification.”
Crawford still had many admirers, some of whom stalked her obsessively. So little Kaia quickly got used to the crowds of people around her, and not all of them were taking photos and trying to talk to her with good intentions. One day, one of the stalkers attacked Kaia and Cindy. The man was apprehended, but the girl remembered the incident for the rest of her life.
Crawford was always against her children following in her footsteps and building their lives on her former fame. Therefore, from childhood, Kaia’s studies were her top priority; after all, how could she possibly get into college without good grades? Besides school, the girl participated in dance and sports, but her special love was books. During the holidays, she read the entire school curriculum and picked up the novels assigned to her older brother.
As an adult, this passion for literature blossomed into her own book club, Library Science, which anyone from around the world can join. Together with her followers, Kaya selects contemporary and little-known novels, often by young authors, and then hosts open discussions with actors, critics, and writers.
However, literature, psychology, law, and everything else that had once fascinated Kaia became merely an additional passion. Despite her mother’s opposition, Gerber pursued a career in modeling. It all began when she was 10 years old. Cindy’s fellow photographers and designers began to notice that her daughter was a spitting image of her mother. They had the same luxurious hair, similar facial features, and even a mole above her upper lip.
Donatella Versace was the first to seize on the idea of introducing the girl to the world of fashion. She proposed making Kaia the face of a children’s clothing line. Crawford was initially hesitant, but after learning that Kaia wanted to be featured, she agreed.
“After it was all over, all I could think about was how it all went,” Kaia recalled of her first modeling experience.
The shoot went like clockwork. It turned out the camera loved the girl, and Cindy’s fans readily accepted her daughter, calling her “a representative of the new generation of top models.” This list later included Lily Rose Depp, Deva Cassel, and Laila Moss. Crawford didn’t object any further and allowed her daughter to continue modeling if she wanted.
“I don’t want her to feel like she’s competing with me, although I do tease her sometimes: ‘You have my young hair! Give it back to me,'” Crawford joked.
“She doesn’t give advice unless you ask for it.”
Following Versace, Chanel, Prada, and many other luxury brands wanted to work with Kaia. That same year, 2011, Gerber landed her first cover—Vogue, albeit for kids.
By the age of 14, her schedule was jam-packed with fashion shows and shoots, so her parents were forced to homeschool her. Cindy, however, knowing from personal experience that beauty and popularity are not forever, continued to insist that school should come first. Kaia didn’t argue, as she didn’t take modeling seriously and planned to become a lawyer after high school.
The realization that she was truly in the modeling business for the long haul came to Gerber after 2016, when she was invited to collaborate with fashion designer and former head of the Louis Vuitton fashion house Marc Jacobs.
“I was so excited when I found out I’d be the face of Marc Jacobs. I got the call right after I got home from school. I couldn’t believe it was real until we started filming. It’s definitely one of my fondest memories!” Kaia said in an interview.
Jacobs was delighted with the rising star. That same year, Kaia was named Model of the Year, and she became a regular at Milan and Paris Fashion Week. Kaia had as many admirers and admirers as advertisers. Paparazzi caught her with one beau after another, but she never identified any of them as her lovers.
Kaia’s first official boyfriend was Euphoria (18+) star Jacob Elordi. Their relationship lasted a couple of years, until 2021, but even after their breakup, the couple still speaks fondly of each other.
“She’s great in public, and I’ve learned so much from her about how to deal with fame,” Jacob thanked Kaia.
That same year, Kaia confirmed she was in a new relationship with actor Austin Butler. The couple dated for four years but broke up in 2025. Rumor has it that Cindy herself played a significant role in their split. The top model disapproved of Austin’s reluctance to move in with her daughter and propose. However, Kaia has always emphasized that her mother never interferes in her life, whether it concerns boyfriends or her modeling career.
“She doesn’t give advice unless you ask for it. But if you do ask, be prepared for her to be very honest, and sometimes that’s hard to hear,” Gerber says of her mother.
Kaya is now 24 years old. Thoughts of studying and college are still on the back burner. Instead, she’s developing as a model and actress, and her family fully supports her in this.
“I love watching you start living and creating your own path! Your proud mom!” Cindy said to her daughter on her birthday.
