Heidi Klum Says She's 'Proud' to See Daughter Leni Re-Wear Her Clothes: 'We Can Upcycle' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Heidi Klumdoesn’t mind sharing a closet with her daughter.AtPrince William’s fourth annualEarthshot Prize Awardson Wednesday, Nov. 6., the supermodel, 51, said she feels “proud” when20-year-old Lenigives pieces from her iconic wardrobe a new life.“I get so excited when I see my daughters re-wearing my clothes," Heidi tells PEOPLE at the event in Cape Town, South Africa. “My eldest daughter, she also is a model, and she goes to events and when she wears my clothes I’m not just proud but we can upcycle.”In 2022, Leni borrowed her mom’s silky black strapless dress from the ’90s for her prom.“Prom night in mamas dress 🖤,” the teen captioned an Instagram carousel ahead of the event. Heidi, originally wore the frock in 1998 for a Comic Relief live comedy event and commented a heart-eyes emoji on her daughter’s post.“I’m passing clothes down to my kids,” Heidi shared on the Earthshot’s green carpet.”… I think it’s so important also to keep wearing your things. I think in the past, we’d wear something once and then we’d never wear it again, and it’s so wrong to do," she added. “I urge everyone to wear your amazing things that you have in the closet. It’s the best shop, your own closet.“Heidi Klum and Leni Klum.Cindy Ord/amFAR/GettyThe Earthshot Prize is a global challenge based on five Earthshots – ambitious goals for 2030 to fix our biggest environmental problems. At the awards ceremony each year, five winners are awarded $1.2 million for their contributions in environmentalism. On the carpet, Heidi wore a one-shoulder vintage Halston dress in bright orange.Heidi Klum at the Earthshot Prize Awards.Aaron Chown/PA Images via GettyThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“I go to a lot of events but this is probably one of the most important events I’ve been to,” Heidi said of the evening. “It is amazing what [Prince William] has done. I have not met him yet. I didn’t know I was on his radar and so when his team called and asked if I could come I said immediately yes.“TheAmerica’s Got Talentjudge says that after she “delved in deeper” to environmental issues, she “learned so many new things.“Prince William arrives to meet with the 2024 Earthshot Prize finalists.Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty"Who knew there was sustainable fishing?” she says. “Tomorrow, I’m so honored to go with [Prince William] to this place to learn about sustainable fishing. I knew our waters are overfished and they’re polluted and all of these horrible things. But I didn’t know about sustainable fishing. I love that I get to learn more things and hopefully be better in the future.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Her children are what make the future so important to her, Heidi explains. “I have four kids and hopefully I will be a grandmother one day and what about my grandkids? We have to think about our tomorrow,” she says.She adds, “When I was a kid you knew already it was starting and for people to say there is no climate change. I mean open your eyes around you — it’s happening everywhere. There are so many places that I’ve visited where they’re complaining about these things and flooding and everything going on. Everyone needs to open their eyes and being here my eyes are even more open.”

Heidi Klumdoesn’t mind sharing a closet with her daughter.

AtPrince William’s fourth annualEarthshot Prize Awardson Wednesday, Nov. 6., the supermodel, 51, said she feels “proud” when20-year-old Lenigives pieces from her iconic wardrobe a new life.

“I get so excited when I see my daughters re-wearing my clothes,” Heidi tells PEOPLE at the event in Cape Town, South Africa. “My eldest daughter, she also is a model, and she goes to events and when she wears my clothes I’m not just proud but we can upcycle.”

In 2022, Leni borrowed her mom’s silky black strapless dress from the ’90s for her prom.

“Prom night in mamas dress 🖤,” the teen captioned an Instagram carousel ahead of the event. Heidi, originally wore the frock in 1998 for a Comic Relief live comedy event and commented a heart-eyes emoji on her daughter’s post.

“I’m passing clothes down to my kids,” Heidi shared on the Earthshot’s green carpet.

“… I think it’s so important also to keep wearing your things. I think in the past, we’d wear something once and then we’d never wear it again, and it’s so wrong to do,” she added. “I urge everyone to wear your amazing things that you have in the closet. It’s the best shop, your own closet.”

Heidi Klum and Leni Klum.Cindy Ord/amFAR/Getty

Cindy Ord/amFAR/Getty

The Earthshot Prize is a global challenge based on five Earthshots – ambitious goals for 2030 to fix our biggest environmental problems. At the awards ceremony each year, five winners are awarded $1.2 million for their contributions in environmentalism. On the carpet, Heidi wore a one-shoulder vintage Halston dress in bright orange.

Heidi Klum at the Earthshot Prize Awards.Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“I go to a lot of events but this is probably one of the most important events I’ve been to,” Heidi said of the evening. “It is amazing what [Prince William] has done. I have not met him yet. I didn’t know I was on his radar and so when his team called and asked if I could come I said immediately yes.”

TheAmerica’s Got Talentjudge says that after she “delved in deeper” to environmental issues, she “learned so many new things.”

Prince William arrives to meet with the 2024 Earthshot Prize finalists.Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty

Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty

“Who knew there was sustainable fishing?” she says. “Tomorrow, I’m so honored to go with [Prince William] to this place to learn about sustainable fishing. I knew our waters are overfished and they’re polluted and all of these horrible things. But I didn’t know about sustainable fishing. I love that I get to learn more things and hopefully be better in the future.“

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Her children are what make the future so important to her, Heidi explains. “I have four kids and hopefully I will be a grandmother one day and what about my grandkids? We have to think about our tomorrow,” she says.

She adds, “When I was a kid you knew already it was starting and for people to say there is no climate change. I mean open your eyes around you — it’s happening everywhere. There are so many places that I’ve visited where they’re complaining about these things and flooding and everything going on. Everyone needs to open their eyes and being here my eyes are even more open.”

source: people.com