Girl in Wheelchair Wears 'Kardashian Kids' Clothing in Fashion Editorial

Hooligans magazine teamed up with the Kardashian family’s clothing brand, “Kardashian Kids” for a new fashion editorial featuring a girl in a wheelchair.

It was the first time modeling for 4-year-old Brynlee Leonard, from San Diego. Brynlee’s mother, Stephanie Leonard, submitted her daughter’s photo for the project after hearing about it through Changing the Face of Beauty, a nonprofit dedicated to achieving greater inclusion of children with disabilities in the media.

The project was an artistic collaboration between Hooligans, a children’s fashion, art and design magazine, and the “Kardashian Kids” clothing brand. The editorial comes on the heels of controversy surrounding Kylie Jenner, the Kardashian sisters’ half sibling, posing in a wheelchair on the cover of Interview magazine.

Photographer Eliza Logan, who’s also the editor-in-chief of Hooligans magazine, shot the photos of Brynlee.

“I decided to ask Katie Driscoll to allow me to shoot with one of her kids because I felt this would be a perfect way to spread the news about Changing the Face of Beauty,” Logan told The Mighty in an email. “I also had a specific shot in mind for a girl on a wheelchair — to show her as a strong, fearless creature. It takes courage to get in front of the camera no matter if you’re in a wheelchair or not. I was happy to see her feeling empowered and able.”

Brynlee has been in a wheelchair since she was 2 years old. When she was 7 months old she became paralyzed from a tumor at the back of her chest that compressed her spinal chord and ultimately caused a permanent spinal chord injury. She was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma and has undergone chemotherapy treatment for her cancer twice but has been off treatment for almost two years. She’s currently stable and doing great.

The shoot was a great experience for Byrnlee, Stephanie Leonard told The Mighty in an email. Her favorite part was the makeup, especially the white eye lashes she got to wear. For her mother, it was just another reminder of all her daughter is capable of doing.

“As parents we all know our kids are amazing individuals capable of so much,” Leonard said. “Sometimes people see a kid in a wheelchair and they might feel sorry for them thinking they’re always stuck in that wheelchair. These kids in wheelchairs are so much more. These kids are out there living life to the fullest. We have friends dropping into 9-foot skate park bowls in their wheelchairs, surfing waves, running/rolling in races, skiing, playing basketball, dancing, and on and on, and it is all possible because someone believed in them and gave them the opportunity to show what they can do. We are grateful that Brynlee was given this opportunity to show how beautiful being in a wheelchair can be.”