The Evolution Of Lori Harvey: From Obscurity To “It” Girl

Many want to deduce Lori Harvey‘s celebrity status to simple nepotism. Yes, she is the youngest daughter of Steve and Marjorie Harvey, but she isn’t just a pretty face — despite the general public being unaware of what her voice sounded like until recent years. She is the epitome of mystique and is more relatable than you may think.

Before Lori became a model, an entrepreneur, a socialite, and best known for her high-profile relationships with some of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, she was an avid, competitive equestrian with dreams of being an olympian.

Back in October 2014, Steve Harvey bragged about her accomplishments on his talk show. “All my kids are talented in different ways,” he began. Lori appeared on the show and at that point, had been competitively horseback riding for three years. The doting stepfather gushed about her winning first place in the Illinois Hunter Jumper Association’s Children’s Medal Final.

She beamed with pride as he reflected on wearing her prize ribbon around the grounds to inform other parents of who he was—not Steve Harvey, but Lori’s proud father. She was one of 31 riders who qualified and completed a total of 15 jumping obstacles with the top score of 85 out of 100.

Her love of horses began at age 3. As a child growing up in Memphis, Lori tried other sports like gymnastics, swimming, and tennis, but horseback riding was her favorite and she began competing at age 14.

She told Bustle in 2021, “My love for the sport just took over. I’m in love with horses. That literally took up all of my time. I would be there from the time the barn opened until they closed.” Writer Hunter Harris noted that “she talks about horseback riding technically, but passionately, as if she were still riding competitively.”

Lori shared, “It’s very freeing […] When I’m on a horse, literally that is all I’m thinking about: me in that moment and me and that horse. You have to be very in tune to the horse and what’s going on, and picking up on them and the environment, and making sure there’s not anything around that could maybe spook them or scare them. I did show jumping, so I’m paying attention to my distance from the jumps and the setup, and is [the horse] positioned right? So many things go into it, but it’s a very freeing experience.”

Lori even attended college at Florida International University briefly on an athletic scholarship. Tragically, a debilitating back injury cut her equestrian career short. Lori hoped her injury would heal and that she could return to the sport, but doctors told her that if she continued, it may have paralyzed her. She was willing to risk it, but her parents shut that down. It was then that Lori decided to pursue the worlds of fashion and beauty professionally.

With Marjorie being a fashion muse and having designers like Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana as family friends, Lori walked in her first runway show during Milan Fashion Week in February 2017 at only 5-foot-3-inches tall. She expressed to BET how proud she was to not be a “traditional model.” Adding, “I feel like it’s opening up a door for a new generation of models that look more like me […] I don’t have to be a size 00.”

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Later that year, she got engaged to soccer player Memphis Depay—her first public relationship at age 20.

After that break-up a year later, the interest in Lori’s love life increased as her modeling career began to soar. Despite not having signed a formal contract with an agency until July 2022—she signed with IMG Models and WME—she was front row at every major fashion show and appeared in several publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and W Magazine. She also appeared in a Good American campaign that merged her two loves: modeling and horses.

As outsiders began to place more attention on who she dated, linking her to the likes of Future and Justin Combs, Lori has only publicly confirmed two relationships post-Depay: one with Michael B. Jordan and one with Damson Idris.

She loves how privately public she is, making sure to never participate in hearsay or even feeling the need to explain herself — most of the time. Yet, as she’s gotten older, Lori has taken back control of her narrative, as told to PopSugar in January 2022. “Before, I have been more so quiet and let the media run with whatever story they’ve felt like running with and didn’t give it any attention; no confirmation, no denial, no anything,” she stated. “Now that I’m getting older and coming into my own and starting my businesses, I want to take control of my narrative. I want to let people get to know me — who I really am, not necessarily who people think I am.”

She isn’t just a muse or that girl who was once on Meek Mill’s wishlist. She isn’t just the fun/rich aunt to her growing number of nieces and nephews. She isn’t just someone whose friend group includes Ryan Destiny, Teyana Taylor, Justine Skye, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and those alike. She isn’t just the woman who may have singlehandedly influenced a generation of women to try pilates after displaying her rock-solid abs at the 2022 Met Gala. Lori Harvey is simply that girl.

Her journey from equestrian to entrepreneur has been one filled of twists and turns, but she’s made it seem like a breeze. She now has two thriving businesses under her belt: SKN by LH and Yevrah Swimwear. Both fuel her passions within the beauty and fashion industries and neither were just handed to her.

Her hairstylist, Lorenzo Calderon, told PopSugar, “It would be easy for her to coast, but she’s such a workhorse.” Lori is very hands-on, being labeled “a mad scientist” as she tested various formulas to address specific skincare needs like sensitivity and rosacea.

For Yevrah, she rebranded her older brother Jason’s defunct footwear line—with his blessing. Keeping things a family affair, SKN by LH was inspired by her mother Marjorie’s skincare routine.

This, however, is far from where things end for her. Lori has goals for SKN by LH to become a household name as she continues to launch more businesses under Lori Harvey Enterprises; all while looking utterly fabulous whether she’s running errands or on vacation and keeping all of her five million Instagram followers on alert about which lucky person has captured her attention and her heart.

If you thought you had the 27-year-old figured out, just wait—Lori’s just getting started.