Leni made her modeling debut when she was 16 years old

NEED TO KNOW

• Leni Klum is the eldest of Heidi Klum’s four children
• She was born in May 2004 in New York City
• Like her mom, Leni has pursued a modeling career

Heidi Klum’s eldest child, daughter Leni Olumi Klum, takes after her mom in many ways.

The Project Runway host welcomed Leni in May 2004 in N.Y.C. Heidi and Leni’s biological father, Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, split before the birth.

As Leni entered adulthood, she followed in her mom’s footsteps and pursued a modeling career, making her professional debut alongside Heidi for the January/February 2021 issue of Vogue Germany. To celebrate the milestone, Heidi shared her excitement with a sweet message on Instagram, beginning by writing, “I’m so proud of you.”

“I know, that no matter which path you were to go down, you would be your own woman. You always know exactly what you want and what you don’t want,” ,” she captioned the December 2020 post, which was translated from German. “You ain’t no mini-me and I’m happy for you that you can now show who YOU are.”

In honor of Leni’s 21st birthday in May 2025, Heidi shared another heartfelt note to her daughter on Instagram, writing, “From the moment you stepped into the world’s view, you’ve shined in everything you do.”

She continued, “You remind us that true beauty is found in being real, staying kind, and walking your own path with confidence. 🫶🏻.”

Here’s everything to know about Heidi Klum’s daughter, Leni Olumi Klum.

She was born in N.Y.C.

Leni Olumi Klum was born on May 4, 2004, in N.Y.C., shortly after Heidi split from Briatore. She was 5 years old when she was adopted by Heidi’s then-husband, Seal, in December 2009.

“They have both taught me to be myself, and to do what makes me feel comfortable,” Leni told PEOPLE of Heidi and Seal. “You can tell if you’re not comfortable and then the best of you isn’t brought out. I just think you should be open and honest with what makes you comfortable, be yourself, do what you love. And if you do all those three things then you’re golden.”

Leni grew up primarily in Los Angeles, where she graduated from Pacifica Christian High School in 2022. She is a big sister to Heidi and Seal’s three children together, sons Henry Günther and Johan Riley, and daughter Lou Sulola. Heidi and Seal separated in 2012, and the German-American model married Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz in 2019.

In her December 2020 Instagram post, Heidi admitted that Leni “never had the possibility to grow up ‘normal.’ ”

“But what is normal? Growing up with three different daddies … And I would say: none of it harmed you,” the proud mom wrote. “On the contrary: you are a self-possessed young woman, works hard for your goals. And even more important … you are a really cool person, with your heart in the right place.”

She was kept out of the public eye while growing up

Leni has wanted to model since she was nearly 12 years old, and she told Vogue Germany that it was “only a matter of time” before she started pursuing it.

“The first offer came when I was only 12 or 13, from a brand I liked to wear: Brandy Melville. At that time I begged my mother, but no chance. Now I understand that it would have been too early,” she said.

Despite the many offers sent Leni’s way, Heidi purposefully made an effort to ensure her daughter’s privacy as she was growing up.

“She’s old enough now,” Klum told PEOPLE in 2020. “I always thought she was too young. We always also decided to keep the children out of the public eye. But she’s driving a car now, she’s 16, so I figured if you can do that, you can also model now if this is what you wish to do.”

“Obviously, as a mother, [I want my] child to do what she wants to do,” she added. “The industry is great and I love it and I’ve been in it for over 20 years but it’s also, it’s a lot of traveling, it’s different. You have to be a strong person, especially as a woman you have to be very strong.”

Leni is also aware of the “nepo baby” label.

“It’s just a fact. My parents are famous,” Leni told PEOPLE in 2022. “I did get help starting off, and I know that people would dream to start off with what I had. I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to take what was gifted to me by my mom.”

She continued, “But I am doing the work and putting in the time. Now I’m working on my own, traveling alone, going to school. My mom and I just have the same love for the same thing.”

She is an accomplished model

Leni made her modeling debut at 16, posing alongside Heidi in Vogue Germany.

“That’s, like, insane that I did that as my first job and my mom was with me, which made it so much fun,” Leni, then 16, told PEOPLE of the cover shoot. “It was just such a good day. I wasn’t nervous at all. I was just so excited. I was like, ‘I’m finally modeling, and it’s Vogue.’ It was just so many things to be excited about.”

She teamed up with her mom again for an Intimissi lingerie campaign in 2022. Leni’s other major career moves include making her runway debut while opening Berlin Fashion Week in January 2021, walking for Dolce & Gabbana, and starring in campaigns for brands like Dior Beauty and Fila.

Her first solo fashion cover was for Glamour Germany, which honored the 20th anniversary of Heidi becoming the magazine’s first cover star in 2001. Heidi and Leni had individual covers for the April 2022 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Germany, and Leni has also graced the covers of Harper’s Bazaar Kazakhstan, Hunger, Flaunt and Rollacoaster.

She studied interior design

Leni moved from Los Angeles to N.Y.C. to both pursue her modeling career and attend college. She began studying interior design, a dream she’s had since she was 14, in August 2022. Heidi told the Today show that Leni is at “the school she always wanted to go to.”

“I feel I’m all grown up now, and I can live on my own. I’m not technically on my own because I have a roommate, but I get that it’s hard for [my mom],” Leni told PEOPLE of Heidi’s adjustment period. “She loves to send us groceries. I got an alert the other day, and I looked outside the door. There were 25 big bags of groceries. My roommate and I were freaking out. We started meal prepping everything. It almost didn’t fit in the fridge.”

Though the cross-country move was nerve-wracking and “worrying” for Heidi, she told PEOPLE that she is “very proud of my daughter and her modeling. And she’s studying at the same time, she’s juggling already.”

Heidi feels good about Leni making her way in the Big Apple, telling Entertainment Tonight, “I started in New York, so she knows New York inside and out because we shot Project Runway there for so many years.”

She made her debut at her mom’s famous Halloween party in 2022

Heidi is known for throwing over-the-top Halloween bashes, and in 2022, Leni officially made the guest list for the first time.

“My kids have never really gone to the Halloween party, obviously, because they’re all too young,” Heidi told PEOPLE. “And now my daughter moved to Manhattan, so she was here. It’s her first time coming and she was so excited. She’s only ever heard about the stories and seen photos. It’s fun for her to be here tonight and it’s fun for me to have her here!”

Leni dressed as Catwoman for the spooky event, posing for plenty of photos with her mom, who was dressed as a worm.

In 2024, Leni dressed up as a sexy alien to Heidi’s 23rd Annual Halloween Party, which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel New York.

She appreciates her mom’s career advice

Though she’s trying hard to define an independent career, Leni gets frequent advice from her mom, which she told Extra in 2021 included “always telling me I need to have fun … She’s always like ‘Bounce around, have fun, be energetic, be excited.’ “

Heidi’s decades-long well of advice is a good one to source.

“I said to her, at the end of the day, you have to be happy with yourself,” Heidi told PEOPLE. “And don’t do anything you don’t want to do. It’s OK to say no. You don’t always have to please people.”

But the one place they differ? Their fashion choices, with Leni telling Extra she is “definitely opposite” of her mom.

“She calls it grungy, I call it oversized I guess … You’ll never catch me in super tight jeans because I don’t like wearing things that are uncomfortable … baggy and big,” Leni said.

She has been in a relationship since 2019

Leni has been in a long-term relationship with Aris Rachevsky since 2019.

She marked their third anniversary in November 2022 by sharing a photo of the two posing in green wigs. “Our little holiday has finally arrived! FLFLFC i love you,” she wrote on Instagram.

In August 2023, Leni shared a sweet photo from her and Aris’ summer vacation in the South of France, where she could be seen receiving a kiss on the head from her beau.

She’s close with Seal

Seal adopted Leni in 2009, and while the musician and Heidi divorced in 2014, Seal and Leni have remained close.

The singer showed off their bond in a September 2023 Instagram post, which included a picture of the father-daughter duo smiling together on a N.Y.C. street.

“In NY with the young woman who changed my life for the better 19yrs ago. Thank you Leni for making me a better person,” he wrote in the caption. “Love you, -papa.”

In the comments, Leni responded, “So cute! I love you papa ❤️.”

More recently, she shared a photo on Instagram to celebrate Seal’s birthday in February 2025, writing, “the best dad since day one.”

She has started to design clothing

Leni co-created her own collection for the clothing line About You. She modeled items during the collab’s Fashion Week Milan 2022 show, with her mom and boyfriend supporting her from the front row.

Her second clothing collection with the brand was a spring/summer 2023 collection.

“Everything’s very casual. Comfort is key. A lot of linen. I’m also doing bathing suits. I always have trouble finding bikini tops, because no bikini top brand really fits me perfectly. Which is why I definitely wanted to include a diverse size range in my About You collection,” she told PEOPLE.

Read the original article on People