43 Models With Down Syndrome
Editor's Note
This post was written in collaboration with Zebedee Management, an agency representing diverse models in the U.K.
Media representation is important. When my daughter was born with Down syndrome, I came home and grabbed my stack of parenting and baby magazines searching for a baby who looked like mine. This was 11 years ago, but I still remember the pang I felt that babies with Down syndrome were not represented. There was no Gerber baby with Down syndrome then.
Thankfully, we are seeing more and more individuals with Down syndrome in print, advertisements and on the runway. From babies to kids to high-end cosmetic brands, models with Down syndrome are present in the media more and more.
How wonderful it will be when we get to a point when picking up a magazine or seeing another commercial for a fashion brand means we will see true diversity. I hope more brands realize that including people with Down syndrome and other disabilities in their advertisements is more representative of life — and is good for business.
Here are 43 models with Down syndrome:
1. Holly Allen
Holly Allen is 10 years old. She has worked for the supermarket Lidl.
Holly is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
2. Mia Armstrong
Mia Armstrong has worked for brands such as Walmart, Amazon, Target and Tommy Hilfiger. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
3. Riley Baxter
Riley Baxter is 4 years old. He has worked for the British retailer Mothercare in an advertisement and Jools Oliver’s Little Bird Clothing.
Baxter is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
4. Ben Bird
Ben Bird is 13 years old. Bird is an actor and most of his assignments are acting jobs. He has worked for clothing company Matalan, the supermarket Lidl and actor-in-training videos.
Bird is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
5. Cora Bishop
Cora Bishop is 7 years old. She has worked for brands such as Specsavers, River Island, Calpol, Marks and Spencers.
Cora is represented by Zebedee Managemen and you can find her on Instagram.
6. Jamie Brewer
Jamie Brewer is an actress and model. She was the first person with Down syndrome to walk during New York Fashion week in 2015. She was also featured in Glamour Magazine and clothing line Cur8able. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
7. Harry Britton
Harry Britton is 17 years old. He has worked for fashion brand River Island and appeared on the front cover of Possability magazine.
Britton is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
8. Karrie Brown
Karrie Brown started modeling for clothing brand Wet Seal in a national campaign in 2013 when she was 17. Since that time, she has been featured with Maurice’s and Kohl’s. She has walked the red carpet at Oscar’s events, had a bracelet designed in her honor by Ronaldo Designer Jewelry (he also designs for Kate Middleton) and had her first film role in the short film “The Decision.”
You can find her on Instagram.
9. Jack Brumpton
Jack Brumpton is 18 years old. He has worked for Hunger magazine with British photographer Rankin and appeared for the charity Comic Relief and as an actor for training videos for the film academy.
Jack is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
10. Melissa Denise
Melissa Denise has worked for Canva Design. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
11. Zachary Gallegos
Zachary Gallegos has worked for Target. He is represented by KMR Diversity.
12. Kennedy Garcia
Kennedy Garcia is a dancer, model and actress. She has worked for fashion brand Justice, American Girl Doll, Disney and Aetna. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
13. Nino Genua
Nino Genua is 20 years old. He has been involved in several campaign shoots.
Nino is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
14. Ellie Goldstein
Ellie Goldstein is 17 years old. She has worked for retail company Superdrug and the London Film Festival. Most of Goldstein’s bookings are live or video performances as she is an incredibly talented dancer. She will perform at the Royal Opera House soon.
Ellie is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
15. Makenna Grace
Makenna Grace has worked for Target. She recently played a student on the Fox TV series “9-1-1.” She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
16. Kate Grant
Kate Grant is 19 years old. She has worked for Benefit Cosmetics and London Fashion Week.
Grant is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
17. Mikayla Holmgren
Mikayla Holmgren has worked for Volk Magazine, St. Croix Valley Magazine and Lake Times. She is the first woman with Down syndrome to compete in a beauty pageant during Miss Minnesota in 2017 and 2018. She has signed with several talent agencies, including Weismann, Moore and KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
18. Kathleen Humberstone
Kathleen Humberstone is 19 years old. She has worked for fashion brand River Island, Marvel and several charity shoots. She has spoken at a UN conference about having Down syndrome. She is bilingual and speaks English and French.
Humberstone is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
19. Kennedy Jackson
Kennedy Jackson has done modeling for dance-wear clothing. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
20. Yvette Jackson
Yvette Jackson has worked for Target and Adaptive Life Company. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
21. Julius Jordan
Julius Jordan has worked for Parents Magazine, Coney Island Suites and kid clothing company Million Polkadots. He is represented by KMR Diversity.
22. Chloe Lennon
Chloe Lennon is 5 years old. She has worked for fashion brand River Island, food company Ella’s Kitchen, kid’s clothing brand MiniMode and acted in a film.
Lennon is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
23. Sheridan Lindsey
Sheridan Lindsey has worked for Nordstrom. He is represented by KMR Diversity.
24. Connor R. Long
Connor R. Long is an actor, model and Heartland Chapter 2017 Emmy-winning reporter.
You can find him on Facebook, his website or his IMDB page.
25. Casen Lyon
Casen Lyon is 3 years old. He has worked for Target and had a recurring role on the TV show “Switched at Birth.” He is represented by KMR Diversity.
26. Joy Minor
Joy Minor has worked for clothing brands Zappos and Tommy Hilfiger. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
27. Lily D. Moore
Lily D. Moore is a professional actress and model. She has starred in films, television episodes and national commercials. She has also done photo shoots on both coasts of the United States.
You can find her on Instagram or visit her website.
28. Asher Nash
Asher Nash has worked for OshGosh and Toys R Us. He is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find him on Instagram.
29. Isabella Oxnard
Isabella Oxnard is 19 years old. She has worked on a photoshoot for a large charity and attends a performing arts college.
Isabella is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
30. Jessica Parsons
Jessica Parsons is a young actress, model and yoga instructor. She has worked as a model for Chico’s Runway. She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
31. Frankie Porter
Frankie Porter is 5 years old. He has worked for U.K. supermarket Sainsbury’s (as the blue bauble in the latest Christmas advertisement) and clothing line Marks and Spencer.
Porter is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
32. Micah Quinones
Micah Quinones, the son of actress/model Amanda Booth, is 4 years old and already an international model. He is represented by AKA Talent.
You can find him on Instagram.
33. Tamara Röske
Tamara Röske is a German model who is also recognized worldwide.
You can find her on Instagram.
34. Joaquin Sanchez
Joaquin Sanchez has worked for the companies Target and Build a Bear. He is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find him on Instagram.
35. Sofia Sanchez
Sofia Sanchez is an actress and model. She has done photoshoots for brands such as Nordstroms, Pier 1, Walmart, Target and Build a Bear. She has also done commercials for Target and Build a Bear and appeared on an episode of the TV series “Switched at Birth.” She is represented by KMR Diversity.
You can find her on Instagram.
36. Gabriel Sohotha
Gabriel Sohotha is 5 years old. He was part of the Radical Beauty project, a fashion photography campaign from Zebedee Mangement that shows the beauty and talent of models who dare to challenge the norm and smash out-of-date stereotypes about the capabilities of people with Down syndrome.
Sohotha is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
37. Grace Strobel
Grace Strobel is a 22-year-old model. She has worked for Chesterfield Lifestyle Magazine and has been featured in five other magazines with three additional upcoming features. She has been interviewed on TV and radio, walked the Winter Walk Fashion Show by Ola Style and the runway for Atlantic City Fashion Week in February. She was also featured as a model in a dental advertisement.
You can find her on Instagram.
38. Madeline Stuart
Madeline Stuart is an Australian model. She has modeled in New York Fashion Week, Art Hearts Fashion Week, Style Fashion Week, Melange Fashion Week, Caspian Fashion, Runway Dubai, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week China, Birmingham Fashion Week, Sunshine Coast Fashion Festival and dozens of others globally. In February 2017, Stuart launched her own Fashion Label: 21 Reasons Why by Madeline Stuart.
You can find Stuart on Instagram or visit her website.
39. Callum Swales
Callum Swales is 24 years old. He worked during London Fashion Week.
Swales is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
40. Chelsea Werner
Chelsea Werner has worked, amongst others, for Aerie and Teen Vogue. She has been featured in Forbes and walked at New York Fashion Week.
You can find her on Instagram.
41. Grace Wharton
Grace Wharton is 8 years old. She has worked for Disney and online retailer Very.
Wharton is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
42. Adam Wild
Adam Wild is 26 years old. He has worked for London Fashion Week and done training videos as an actor.
Wild is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find him on Instagram.
43. Sara Zeb
Sara Zeb is 10 years old. She has worked for companies like River Island, Matalan, Mountain Warehouse and Mini Mode (at London Kids Fashion Week).
Zeb is represented by Zebedee Management and you can find her on Instagram.
Ellen Stumbo is the founder of Disability Matters, an organization with the mission to encourage every church to embrace disability. Ellen is a national speaker who focuses on issues pertaining adoption, faith, disability and parenting kids with disabilities. Ellen writes for several online platforms including Focus on the Family, LifeWay, MomSense, Not Alone, Mamapedia, Group, The Mighty and the Huffington Post. Her writing also appears in several book anthologies. Ellen blogs at ellenstumbo.com and you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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