- Natalia Bryant signed a contract with IMG Models.
- Kobe’s eldest daughter and Vanessa Bryant joined the agency weeks after her 18th birthday.
- IMG Models also recently signed with Amanda Gorman and Ella Emhoff.
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Natalia Bryant is following in her mother’s footsteps – straight into the modeling world.
Kobe’s eldest daughter and Vanessa Bryant announced on Monday that she had signed a contract with IMG Models.
The agency shared Natalia’s photo on her official Instagram page, as well as a statement from the teenager.
“I have always been interested in fashion since I was very young,” read the caption. “I have a love for the industry and since I remember I wanted to be a model. There is a lot to learn, but I feel that this is a great opportunity to learn and express myself creatively.”
Natalia shared the same photo and caption on her own Instagram page, adding: “I am beyond thrilled and honored to be part of the IMG family!”
Vanessa – who met Kobe while working as a model on a music video when she was 17 – also posted her daughter’s new photo on her own Instagram, writing: “I’m so happy for you! I love you Nani!”
The proud mother was congratulated by some very famous models, including Cindy Crawford and Gigi Hadid. The latter is also signed with IMG.
Natalia’s big news comes just weeks after her 18th birthday
Vanessa marked her daughter’s birthday by posting a picture of her and Kobe holding Natalia on the Los Angeles Lakers’ court when she was just a baby.
In another post, Vanessa praised her eldest daughter for showing “so much strength and grace throughout the most difficult years of our lives” after Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others passengers on January 26, 2020.
“Mom and Dad are very proud of the young woman you are,” she wrote. “Thank you for intervening to help me with your little sisters.”
“You are an incredible big sister and a beautiful model for so many people. Thank you for being kind, polite and gracious in everything you do,” continued the caption. “You have no idea how happy and proud Mom and Dad are that you are our daughter. We love you always and forever, forever and ever.”
Natalia is the latest newcomer to join IMG Models
Bryant’s eldest daughter signed just a few weeks after IMG signed Amanda Gorman after his big bang in the possession of President Joe Biden with his poem “The Hill We Climb”.
—IMG Models (@IMGmodels) January 26, 2021
Gorman, 22, graduated from Harvard and the country’s first young poet laureate.
Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, also caught the attention of the agency during the inauguration and was signed quickly.
—IMG Models (@IMGmodels) January 28, 2021
Emhoff, 21, was praised for her style that day, choosing to stand out with a sparkling Miu Miu coat and a burgundy Batsheva dress.
The three newly signed models will be in good company at IMG, where they join names like Hadid, tennis star Naomi Osaka and Kate Moss.