Why Karlie Kloss Stopped Modeling For Victoria's Secret

Karlie Kloss is a master of many trades. The St. Louis native, who stands at an impressive 6'2", got her start as a model, but she didn't stop there. In 2015, Kloss founded Kode with Klossy, a "coding camp" that teaches young girls "to learn to code and become leaders in tech," according to The New York Times. 

The model has a passion for bringing more women into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), which is part of the reason Kode with Klossy means so much to her. During a "73 Questions" interview with Vogue in 2018, Kloss said that she was excited to see her scholars "change the world."

In October 2018, it was announced that Kloss would host Project Runway, taking over for longtime hosts Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. With the gig, she's proved that she's as comfortable in front of cameras as she is on the runway itself. While chatting with former Teen Vogue editor-and-chief Elaine Welteroth for Vogue U.K. in 2019, Kloss said: "I am deeply ambitious and driven, and there are a lot of big things I want to do — big things."

With this as her backdrop, it seems there's nothing Kloss can't do and, in many ways, her résumé proves this to be true. In 2011, she began modeling for Victoria's Secret, per Harper's Bazaar, and became a prominent face of the brand. But then, in 2015, Kloss tossed aside her angel wings and abruptly parted ways with the company, per E! News. Despite having a shady side, a gig as a Victoria's Secret model is one of the most coveted modeling positions in the world. So what the heck happened?

Karlie Kloss began working with Victoria's Secret in 2011, becoming an Victoria's Secret Angel in 2013, per Harper's Bazaar. In 2019, HuffPost, described the position as "the elite of the brand's modeling and fashion runway shows." Kloss' work with the brand was one of her "most lucrative contracts" at the time, according to Vogue U.K.

Despite this, Kloss parted ways with the company in 2015. While some wondered if there was bad blood, Kloss spoke with The Telegraph in 2017 and took up for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, saying, "[t]here's something powerful about a woman who owns her sexuality and is in charge."

In 2015, the same year Kloss left Victoria's Secret, "she enrolled in New York University's Gallatin School to study feminist theory," per Vogue U.K., and that had a huge impact on Kloss. In fact, it might have motivated her to part ways with the company. "The reason I decided to stop working with Victoria's Secret was I didn't feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am and the kind of message I want to send to young women around the world about what it means to be beautiful," Kloss said.

She added, "I think that was a pivotal moment in me stepping into my power as a feminist, being able to make my own narrative, whether through the companies I choose to work with, or through the image I put out to the world."