The Mighty Logo

Madeline Stuart Just Rocked the Runway at New York Fashion Week

The most helpful emails in health
Browse our free newsletters

Madeline Stuart, the world’s most famous model with Down syndrome, continues to break down barriers.

Within the last year, 18-year-old Stuart has taken the world by storm. She’s already booked contracts with brands Manifesta and Living Dead Clothing, is the first face behind the GlossiGirl Cosmetics “Beauty Is…” campaign, has a one-of-a-kind doll made after her, launched her own handbag line with a fashion company called EverMaya, and has now walked the catwalk during New York Fashion Week for FTL Moda.

FTL Moda ad for 2015 NYFW featuring Madeline Stuart
Courtesy of Rosanne Stuart

Madeline is very excited,” her mother, Rosanne Stuart, told AFP backstage at rehearsals for Sunday’s show. “I think it’s amazing that she’s been given this opportunity. It’s a fantastic platform for us to get our beliefs across on inclusion and disability.”

The show took place in New York City’s Vanderbilt Hall on Sunday, September 13 and Stuart took two trips down the runway — one for resort wear, the other for couture.

See Madeline in her couture outfit in the video below:

 

The FTL Moda show featured several models with disabilites, including Rebekah Marine, 28, a car saleswoman from New Jersey who was born without a right arm. She is proudly called the “bionic model” because of her prosthesis, AFP reported.

FTL Moda ad for 2015 New York Fashion Week
Via Instagram

The show was organized with the help of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Models of Diversity, a British group that campaigns for diversity in the fashion industry.

See photos from the inclusive show below: 

Photo of three models with disabilities on the runway at FTL Moda 2015 NYFW show
Via Instagram

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 8.17.43 AM
Via Instagram

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 8.18.48 AM
Via Instagram
Madeline Stuart on the 2015 New York Fashion Week runway
Via Instagram

Model on the runway at 2015 NYFW
Via Instagram
Madeline Stuart next to two men at FTL Moda 2015 NYFW show
Via Instagram
Madeline Stuart walking the runway with two men at 2015 NYFW
Via Instagram
Madeline Stuart walking the 2015 NYFW runway
Via Instagram

Correction: A previous version of this post called FTL Moda a “designer,” but it is in fact a production company.

Related: Behind the Scenes With the World’s Most Famous Model With Down Syndrome

Image via Wikimedia Commons/Madelinemgmt

Originally published: September 14, 2015
Want more of The Mighty?
You can find even more stories on our Home page. There, you’ll also find thoughts and questions by our community.
Take Me Home