The model has oft spoken about going to castings in “the middle of nowhere” at the beginning of her career, emphasizing that she “definitely worked [her] way” to where she is in a 2021 reunion episode of The Kardashians.
This is despite there being an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians where Kris Jenner says, “I’ve spent the last two days calling everyone I know making sure I can set Kendall up with the best modeling agency possible” — leading the then-13-year-old to receive her first contract with Wilhelmina Models.
In a new interview with Vogue, Kendall spoke about her high fashion runway debut with Marc Jacobs in 2014. Though Kendall had done runways before, it was definitely a huge part of her breaking out to become a high fashion model and received copious press attention.
“I really went into that season thinking, I don’t know how this is going to go, but I’m just going to try,” she told Vogue. “Then I booked Marc Jacobs, and I thought, Cool, if this is all I get, I can go home happy.” Afterwards, more designers came flocking. “That was kind of like, What the fuck? This is crazy. This is actually happening. I remember the excitement and the disbelief of that time. And from there the takeoff was really fast,” she added.
Marc then chimed in to say that he “wasn’t excited by the Kardashian fame,” adding, “I was aware of who they were. There was no judgment. But I have a job to do, a fashion show, and that means finding models who can show the clothes the way I think they should be shown.” Indeed, it was Marc’s longtime collaborator and stylist, Katie Grand, who suggested that they meet.
Apparently, Kendall was keen to prove people wrong. She continued, “I think they didn’t believe in me when I came into the industry. That’s been a constant narrative in the hater world online, and at times that’s been really hard.”
Somewhat confusingly, Kendall then said, “When I came into it, you didn’t really see quote-unquote famous girls. Cara Delevingne was probably the biggest one who was known outside of modeling. She opened that door for me, and from there it blew up into a whole new thing.”
She continued, “Now there’s another vibe coming through. You’re seeing a lot of social media creators at the shows. It’s great. It’s always just shifting and changing, and you take it day by day. I suss out the vibe. Does it align with me? If it still does, great. You don’t know what’s around the corner.”
In the same interview, Kris spoke about asking Victoria’s Secret photographer Russell James to the family home when Kendall was 15 — who Kris credits with getting Kendall’s career in motion. “Kendall decided very young exactly what she wanted to do, and it kind of became my mission to help her get there,” Kris said. “So I told her, ‘Put on your prettiest party dress and put a big bow in your hair,’ like I always did. Instead Kendall came walking down the double staircase in the skinniest jeans, the biggest heels, her hair all messy. Kendall did Kendall, and the rest is history.”
I am sure that not having to worry about money, having familial connections, and access to the best cosmetic work in the world made it exceedingly difficult for the already-famous to enter the modeling industry.