Currently represented by Zebeedee Management, Ellie Goldstein is a British model with Down’s syndrome. If the 18-year-old looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve just seen her in Gucci Beauty’s latest campaign. Rumour has it that Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele handpicked her as the face of the brand’s beauty division himself.

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Jillian Mercado

Latina actress and model Jillian Mercado was diagnosed with spastic muscular dystrophy as a teen and, as a fashion marketing major, worried that women like her would never be represented by the brands she admired. She answered a casting call for Diesel and ended up being signed by IMG Models, one of the world’s biggest modelling agencies that represents Giselle Bundchen and Kate Moss, among others. She has since appeared in numerous fashion campaigns (including that Diesel one!) and been on the cover of Teen Vogue.

Chelsea Werner

Chelsea Werner’s trajectory to fashion stardom was a little different from the others featured here. The model, who has Down’s syndrome, actually started out as a gymnast. An Olympic gymnast, to be precise. Four-time winner of the Special Olympics USA National Championships, she was more than used to defying the stereotypes associated with her condition when she made the move into modelling. So far she’s already graced the cover of Teen Vogue and Dazed, and walked at New York and Los Angeles Fashion Weeks. We have a feeling she’s just getting started.

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Azfar Firdaus

After starting out in 2017 as a freelance model for photographers in Malaysia, it was only a matter of time before Azfar Firdaus’ striking looks caught the attention of those in the industry. As the country’s first albino model, he has been setting headlines ablaze ever since. But modelling isn’t the 22-year-old’s only passion. His real motivation for appearing in magazine spreads and runway shows is to increase people’s awareness and understanding of albinism, and the PhD student constantly pushes for inclusion on his social media platforms.

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Aaron Philip

Born in Antigua and Barbuda, transgender model Aaron Philip was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy as an infant. Her parents decided to move to the US when she was three so she could receive better treatment. She came out as gender-fluid at 14; today, she identifies as a gender nonconforming trans woman. As a model, some of her biggest projects to date have been appearances in Paper magazine and on ASOS.com. Her visibility has, unsurprisingly, been widely celebrated by the transgender community and she’s often considered the main voice of marginalised identities in the fashion industry.

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