In 2016, Celebrities’ Kids Got Their Own Spotlight
When Marc Jacobs launched his beauty campaign this September, Gen X did a double take: Was Cindy Crawford back in action?
Of course, fashion fiends knew the real story. It wasn’t the ‘90s supermodel, it was her 15-year-old daughter Kaia Gerber, a celeb mini-me also seen in Paris Vogue and ads for Alexander Wang and Miu Miu.
The high school student boasts 1 million Insta followers and some company: a slew of celebrity sons and daughters scoring fashion campaigns for huge brands like Chanel, Burberry, and Louis Vuitton.
And 2016 was the year they took over, moving from their usual front-row perches to the runways and the photo studios. Some, like Brooklyn Beckham, even went behind the camera to shoot the campaigns themselves.
From Lily-Rose Depp on Chanel billboards to Sistine Stallone posing for Express, this year’s crop of celebrity-kids-in-campaigns has been superfun and very gorgeous, but hardly fair … in other words, much like the fashion world itself.
LILY-ROSE DEPP
In America, she’s the daughter of movie icon Johnny Depp. In France, she’s the daughter of pop idol Vanessa Paradis. And in the fashion world, she’s a Chanel muse with two campaigns — perfume and eyewear — already under her (vintage designer) belt. Next up for the 17-year-old: playing Natalie Portman’s psychic younger sister in the thriller Planetarium.
WILLOW AND JADEN SMITH
She performed original music at the most recent Chanel show. He models for Louis Vuitton. Together, they are Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s precocious teen superstars, pushing the boundaries of fashion and art while appearing on Snapchat with Kendall and Kylie. Willow, 16, and Jaden, 18, also surfaced this October at a protest for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, because they seem like awesome kids. (Proof: this March interview with Willow in Paris.)
SOFIA RICHIE
In 2016, Sofia Richie turned 18, dated Justin Bieber, scored the cover of Complex, and hit two runways — Yeezy and Chanel — before heading back to her hometown, Los Angeles. Her dad is music legend Lionel Richie and her big sister is fashion star Nicole Richie, so (fingers crossed) she’s getting really good advice about becoming mega-famous — which seems destined to happen in 2017.
BROOKLYN BECKHAM
While his younger brother Romeo starred in three Burberry campaigns, Brooklyn went behind the scenes with the British brand instead, shooting Burberry Brit’s latest fragrance campaign. The Guardian’s art critic dismissed his work as “boring,” but that hasn’t stopped the 17-year-old from pursuing his art: In May 2017 he’ll release his first photo book, called What I See.
DYLAN JAGGER LEE
When the son of Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson surfaced on Coach’s runway in December, he was already a style veteran, having posed for Hedi Slimane during his last days at Saint Laurent. Now the 18-year-old is working on his first full-length album … but don’t worry — he still posts tons of selfies on Instagram for fawning teen fans.
MAYA THURMAN-HAWKE
Dad is Ethan Hawke. Mom is Uma Thurman. And yet this 18-year-old has managed to stay pretty far from the spotlight, surfacing in occasional tabloid photos but not much else. That changed this fall, when the blonde signed a modeling contract with AllSaints and allowed Vanity Fair to do a brief profile. Then it was back to school — the prestigious acting conservatory at Juilliard — for now…
GABRIEL DAY-LEWIS
He is gorgeous. He is covered in tattoos. He is a face of Saint Laurent and Calvin Klein and a fixture in the front rows of Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana. He says things like “In my music I make myself vulnerable and share a piece of myself, but it’s also in the hopes that people will hear it and think: I’m not alone.” And his dad is Daniel Day-Lewis. Yes, you are now permitted to Insta stalk for the rest of the day.
CHELSEA TYLER
Before modeling for Tommy Hilfiger, Chelsea Tyler appeared on Lizzie McGuire and learned how to play guitar — something that might be a little easier when your dad is Aerosmith rock god Steven Tyler. This year, she married actor and musician Jon Foster and scored a Botkier campaign, taking over for Bella Hadid.
SISTINE STALLONE
Few young women can boast a place on the Chanel runway and the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Kazakhstan. Hollywood royalty Sistine Stallone, 18, managed to make both happen, plus campaigns for Smashbox Cosmetics and Express. (Insert Rocky joke here about how she’s such a knockout.)
LOUISA GUMMER
While actresses Grace and Mamie Gummer follow in the footlights/footsteps of their mother, Meryl Streep, their youngest sister, Louisa, has been quietly posing for Tod’s, Roberto Cavalli, and other major labels all year. The 25-year-old Vassar graduate also works with cool emerging designers like surf brand Flagpole and hipster PJ staple Sleepy Jones. (Consider them the fashion equivalent of indie movies.)
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