Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, turned heads with a pastel blue, off-the-shoulder, drop-waist dress at the Democratic National Convention. The dress, which she wore while appearing alongside Harris’s goddaughter Helena Hudlin and niece Meena Harris to promote voter engagement, was designed and assembled by Japanese American TikTok sensation Joe Ando-Hirsh.
Emhoff, 25, who is not only an artist and model but also a fashion designer based in Brooklyn, played a significant role in the creation of her outfit. The dress, a standout at the convention, was crowned as the ‘best dress’ of the night and quickly went viral on social media.
And while the Democratic nominee opted for classic pantsuits by Chloé, Emhoff’s one-of-a-kind gown emerged from the creativity of an up-and-coming TikTok designer.

Designer behind viral outfit

Ando-Hirsh, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, has a prominent following on TikTok, where he has 2.9 million followers. Known for his engaging content and the viral catchphrase, “Can I make you a dress?”, Ando-Hirsh has previously dressed stars like Dakota Johnson, Millie Bobby Brown, and Rachel Zegler, the Newsweek reported.
His work extends beyond TikTok, including contributions to the film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which starred Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain. Ando-Hirsh shared snippets of the designing process of the outfit on his TikTok before finally sharing that he designed Emhoff’s outfit.
The collaboration between Emhoff and Ando-Hirsh brought a fresh and distinctive look to the convention. Ando-Hirsh shared on his TikTok that Emhoff crocheted the flower embellishment on the sleeve of her dress herself, adding a personal and unique detail to the ensemble.