She glides down catwalks in Paris, London, and Milan for elite couture houses, but her favorite place on earth is Lee’s Summit. Now 26, Isabella Emmack has led a whirlwind, jet-setting life since age 15, when Vogue discovered her striking gamine features.
Emmack was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Lee’s Summit, where her family moved when she was in 3rd grade. Her education at Lee’s Summit West High School was cut short at age 15 by the demands of her supercharged modeling career. Emmack became famous walking for Alexander Wang, and now primarily works for European fashion houses, including Chanel, Gucci, and Yves St. Laurent. Her Instagram feed, @isabellaemmack, is a visual feast for fashion devotees.
Emmack has an apartment in New York, which she shares with her romantic partner of five years, who is also a model (“that doubles my schedule”). IN Kansas City recently caught up with Emmack by phone when she was on lunch break during a photo shoot in downtown Manhattan for Vogue.
What was your first big job in fashion?
My very first job was for American Vogue with a photographer named Annie Leibovitz—she’s very famous. I was actually at Lee’s Summit West, I think I was in personal finance [class], and my mom called and told me that an agency from New York wanted me to come shoot Vogue. I had just started the fall semester. It was probably August because Fashion Weeks are held in September. I had to fly out the next day, and after that a lot of people wanted to work with me, so I just kind of carried on.
Did you model in Kansas City before that big break?
Yes, my first job was for Kansas City Spaces magazine. I also worked for Baldwin and Charlie Hustle, big KC brand names. I love the Kansas City brands.
How did Vogue in New York become aware of you in Lee’s Summit?
There’s a couple of agencies in Kansas City but my favorite and my mother agent, who’s been my manager for ten years, is Wendy Buono at Voices And in Kansas City—she scouted me and she put me up for placement in New York City. She’s been in Kansas City her whole life.
So your career went from zero to 100 at age 15 without the struggling and aspiring phase. What was that like?
It was pretty scary. I had to go into these professional environments with some of the most elite people in those fields and be able to establish relationships and deliver on my job as a model. Learning how to grow into the industry at the same time as growing up was really difficult.
How did you know what to do at that first job for Vogue?
I didn’t. [Laughs] It took me a long time to figure that out. I felt like just being my authentic self was the best thing I could do in that scenario.
If you were an agent pitching Isabella Emmack, how would you describe you?
[Laughs] I would say . . . I’m pretty cool but not too cool. And I’ll do a good job above and beyond every time. And I really enjoy it. I think enjoying what you do is the most important part. People notice when you don’t have fun.
Why is having fun important?
Because I think it allows people to be who they are. When you’re not having fun it creates distance in the workplace.
Who in your family did your striking features come from?
My mom. [Laughs] But she’s 5’4”, so I got my height from my dad.
What is your daily life like as an international model—the best parts and the weird parts?
The best parts are my opportunities as far as seeing new places, meeting new people in a way you can’t if you have a regular job. I have a very weird schedule. It’s last-minute and very packed.
For example, this weekend I’m going to be in New York and then I fly to London, and I’m there for less than 24 hours, and then I fly back to New York. Then I fly to Kansas City so I can drive my brother to Columbia to enroll at Mizzou, and then I fly to Paris. The next 3 ½ weeks are completely full without a day of rest. I really don’t get to be home at my apartment in New York ever, because I’m always visiting Kansas City if I get a free day. My life is pretty much on the go 24/7.
How do you keep your energy up and get enough rest? You can’t model very well if you’ve got dark circles under your eyes.
That’s so true! I think just knowing that I’ve got a goal to follow my modeling career as far as it can go is what keeps my energy level up.
How much pressure do you feel to keep your body looking a certain way and do you have to work hard at it, or do you naturally stay the same size?
My career’s been ten years long now, from age 15 to 25, so a lot of changes happen in your body in that time. I think just being healthy and exercising when I can—not too much, not too little—everything in moderation is the key. I think everybody should do that, just do what you can do. Even having a walk. I love to go on a walk in the morning.
Do you follow a restrictive diet?
No, I pretty much eat whatever I want. I know for a lot of women it’s not like that. It’s just different for everybody. But I do what I want. I’m not going to not enjoy myself or not go out to a restaurant or not have a drink. I don’t really limit myself. I try to stay active and walk a lot and have a smoothie every now and then.
What are your favorite comfort foods?
I really like French fries. And mozzarella sticks. Jack Stack Barbecue is my guilty pleasure.
What do you love about fashion?
I love that it’s ever changing and that it’s creative. Everyone is always pushing to go to the next level. There’s no limit to the potential creativity that can happen. I think that goes for the New York fashion industry and even the Kansas City fashion industry. It is big there, and I don’t think a lot of people out here realize that there’s a lot of fashion communities in places like Kansas City, Minneapolis, Chicago. I’ve been really excited seeing the talent coming out of Kansas City. I love all the magazines there. I’m excited to see where it’s going. Kansas City is not behind the times, we’re with the times.
From your international perspective, how do you see fashion evolving right now?
I think it’s becoming more inclusive, like allowing all different types of people, whether you’re big, small, or wherever you come from. I think they are looking for people who want to be in the fashion industry and who are relentlessly authentic about it. Right now people are looking for people who are not trying to attach to anything but what they truly want. Don’t be afraid to wear a shirt because somebody might think of you in a certain way—wear something even crazier than that. We’re seeing that in celebrities and in fashion, people are becoming more eccentric. And the more unique and eccentric you are, the more people are noticing.
What’s your best survival tip for women who are not self-confident about fashion when they need to dress up for a wedding or a job interview or a party?
I would say, pick something that allows you to be comfortable. And, less is more.
What do you mean by less is more?
In beauty or fashion, when you’re doubting yourself, you probably look fine just the way you are. You don’t need to elaborate. You know what you feel comfortable in, and when you’re not sure, you’re probably right the first time.
Is fashion always a top priority for you even when you’re not working, or is it a situational thing you can turn off and on?
I wish I could turn it off. It’s usually always on.
Even when you’re on a walk?
Yeah, because I never know when I’m going to get an email that says I’ve got to be in another country in three hours. The next thing could happen at any moment. The only times when I feel I can turn it off is when I’m home in Lee’s Summit. It sounds really cheesy, but I’ve been saying since I was 15 years old and left high school that Lee’s Summit—Kansas City in general—is my favorite place in the whole world. And I’ve hyped it up ever since I started living in New York. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be there.
Interview condensed and minimally edited for clarity.