Extremely young models have often been the topic of heated conversation, especially lately. But Chanel's 7-year-old runway regular is (it is hoped) the very youngest of them all. Hudson Kroenig made his modeling debut in 2010 at the tender age of two, according to Vanity Fair. The very tiny talent has a wardrobe of custom Chanel. He’s been babysat by the likes of Katy Perry and Gisele Bündchen. For show-and-tell at his New Jersey elementary school, Kroenig brought Chanel ads he'd starred in. Oh, and his godfather is Karl Lagerfeld.
“My hair is blond. My eyes are brown. My skin is a little beige-ish, a little gold-ish. I wear a size-1 shoe. I am 49 inches. I have big pecs, and I’m lean like Daddy,” Hudson said, describing his looks to Vanity Fair. And, oh, yes — Hudson has his own Vanity Fair profile.
His good genes come from his dad, model Brad Kroenig, a Missouri native who’s modeled for Chanel and Fendi for years and is still in the game — even though he’s 36 years old, which is pretty ancient by modeling standards. “Lagerfeld refers to Brad and the other models that travel with him as his family, albeit a self-selected, genetically ideal one,” The New York Times wrote earlier this year. Brad got his start showing off his abs for Abercrombie & Fitch’s racy, erstwhile catalog shot by Bruce Weber, A&F Quarterly.
The Vanity Fair feature is more than just a fascinating read: It’s the final piece penned by Ingrid Sischy, the longtime VF contributor, close friend of Lagerfeld, and former Interview editor-in-chief who passed away on Friday at the age of 63.
The father-son duo usually hit the catwalk together whenever the child model goes to work, but that might be short-lived: “Hudson doesn’t want to walk down the runway with me anymore, though. I guess I’m not cool enough,” Brad told Vanity Fair. In fact, for Chanel’s Resort showing in Dubai in January, Hudson appeared in the show without his dad.
Hudson certainly seems to dig modeling for the moment — he organizes at-home fashion shows of all those custom Chanel looks for his parents, along with his 3-year-old brother, Jameson. He's walked on runways from Seoul to Salzberg in his five-year career. Considering Hudson hasn't even hit double digits yet, there could be a seriously long career ahead for the kid.
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