Published 13:10 IST, January 20th 2021
Stephanie Seymour's son Harry Brant dies at 24; remembering his early life and career
Stephanie Seymour's son, socialite and scion Harry Brant has died aged 24 following a drug overdose. Here's looking back at his early life and career in fashion
Harry Brant, a rising fashion model, and supermodel Stephanie Seymour's son died at the age of 24 last Sunday, following an accidental drug overdose. His father Peter Mark Brant was an acclaimed publisher of Brant Publications Inc. According to Page Six, the gender-bending personality and a hip couture icon along with his older brother, Peter Jr. — was found dead on Sunday, just days before he was set to enter rehab, his parents said in a statement to The Post. Read on to know more about the daring young fashion icon's early life, career, and who are the fashion influencers who have inspired him to lead a brilliant yet short-lived career in fashion.
Who Is Harry Brant?
Harry Brant was born in Connecticut on August 3, 1996. He was the son of supermodel Stephanie Seymour and media mogul Peter M. Brant. Like his brother Peter Brant II, he was a socialite and model prominent in New York City. Both he and Victoria’s Secret model Sara Sampaio were members of The Lions NY modelling agency. He posted his first-ever Tweet to his brantharry account on November 25, 2011. According to Page Six, Harry and his brother Peter Brant Jr. were frequently described as the "male version" of wealthy celebrity sisters and socialites, Paris and Nicky Hilton, and were also at the spotlight at New York City’s hottest parties and front-row attendees at top international fashion shows. According to his family, Harry Brant was a 'trail-blazer' of beauty and cosmetic products for men, including collaborating with a major brand on a unisex cosmetic line called 'MAC Cosmetics', Page Six added.
Harry Brant's career in fashion and cosmetics
Harry, alongside his older brother, Peter Brant, Jr., was an active member of New York City's social scene. According to Insider, the Brant brothers were dubbed as 'the new princes of New York City" by the New York York Times in a 2012 profile documenting their social lives filled with designer outfits and fashion shows. In the same year, Vanity Fair also published a slideshow giving readers "a peep into the glittering, made-up world of the gorgeous Brant boys." Harry Brant was well known to experiment and eventually bend the gender boundaries of fashion and makeup and modelled for Balmain and the Italian Vogue. In 2015-16, the brothers launched their "gender-neutral" cosmetics brand line in collaboration with MAC. Harry Brant's Instagram features several iconic fashion influencers like the late Oscar-winning actress Audrey Hepburn, wherein he had posted clips from the film to highlight her 'fashion genius'.
Harry Brant's family
Growing up in a privileged setup, Harry would walk through the family’s mansion on its 300-acre estate in Greenwich, Ct., complete with dozens of ponies, a polo field — and 41-foot sculpture by Jeff Koons in the front yard — and get quizzed by his dad on the names of the artists whose priceless works adorned the walls, which was covered in Harper Bazaar's profile of the family in 2014. Harry had reportedly told the magazine that if he 'answered the questions' right, he would 'receive a dollar'. The brothers’ father, Peter Brant Sr., is the Queens-born owner of newsprint manufacturer White Birch Paper and Brant Publications, Inc., whose holdings include the Andy Warhol-founded Interview magazine. Peter Sr. also is a world-renowned art collector and famously loves playing polo, but had temper issues, earning him the nickname, “the John McEnroe of polo.” The boy's mother Stephanie Seymour was one of lingerie company Victoria’s Secret’s first — and most famous — Angels, according to Page Six.
Harry Brant controversies
The Brant family were no strangers to controversies, which made quite the headlines over the years. According to Glamour, Harry Brant was busted in 2016 on larceny and drug raps for allegedly skipping out on a $27.85 cab fare and getting caught “with a white substance” that later tested positive as drugs. That same year, his brother, Peter, was charged with assault after allegedly getting into a boozy brawl with a Port Authority cop at JFK Airport. In 2012, Peter also was caught joking online about "killing" former US President Barack Obama.
According to Page Six sources, Peter Brant Sr had accused Stephanie Seymour in divorce filings of being an “unfit mother,” alleging she popped pills and abused alcohol. The pair have since reconciled. In 2014, Seymour was charged with DUI after reversing her Range Rover on a highway ramp and hitting a road sign. Her husband also once did 84 days behind bars for failure to keep proper records.
Harry Brant's Death and condolences
Harry Bryant passed away at the age of 24 on January 17, 2021, from a drug overdose, just days before he was to check in at a drug rehabilitation center for his years-long addiction to drugs. Members of the fashion world have left comments under Harry's latest Instagram post from January 7 to pay tribute to the late socialite. Among others, fashion designers Andrew Warren wrote "love you forever," and Olivier Theyskens left a series of white hearts and a dove emoji. Take a look at his last Instagram post:
Promo Pic: Harry Brant/Instagram
Updated 13:10 IST, January 20th 2021