Leni Klum Makes Her Red Carpet Debut Alongside Mom, Heidi

Not many can say they closed out 2020 on a high note, but for Leni Klum, this past December brought something she’d anticipated for years: her modeling debut. Seven months after appearing on the cover of German Vogue, the 17-year-old has again marked a milestone alongside her mom, the supermodel Heidi Klum. “This is my first red carpet,” Leni shared on her Instagram Stories over the weekend, wearing a white bathrobe while prepping for a UNICEF benefit at a 14th-century former monastery on the island of Capri, Italy.

The up-and-comer, who’s tripled her Instagram following over the course of a relatively quiet year, is poised to become the next scion supermodel, following in the footsteps of Lila Moss, Kaia Gerber, and Gigi and Bella Hadid. One would expect, then, that the clips Leni posted would include at least a glam team or hairstylist. But she was solo in the sped-up getting-ready videos that followed, the bulk of which featured her straightening her own hair. By the end of the evening, she’d posted just one photo to her grid, also behind the scenes. Her mom, on the other hand, posted no less than nine. (Including one of the pair showing off their dirty feet.)

Upon hitting the red carpet, Leni looked just as camera-ready as Heidi. (Not to mention fellow attendees like Eiza González, Cindy Bruna, and Emily Ratajkowski.) Complementing her mom’s sequined silver Elie Saab gown, Leni went with a shimmery gold look by Versace—only fitting, given that she also wore Versace to make her modeling debut. The only difference between the mother-daughter duo’s straight, dirty-blonde hair was Heidi’s bangs.

Leni hasn’t done any commercial work just yet. (Alas, her mom didn’t approve the Brandy Melville campaign she dreamed of at age 12.) If Versace does end up being among her first, she should know it’s not a job to take lightly: Donatella Versace had the last muse with whom she made things official, the pop star Dua Lipa, dye her hair red.