Madeline Stuart set to steal the show during New York Fashion Week

Since Australian native Madeline “Maddy” Stuart launched her social media pages three months ago, she gained 453,000 Facebook fans and 70,000 Instagram followers. And if that wasn’t enough, this September Stuart will be the second model with Down syndrome to walk the runway for New York Fashion Week. Maddy is quickly making big waves in the fashion world and is proving that, as her mother says, “people with Down syndrome can do anything”.

Her appearance on the NYFW catwalk is just the icing on the cake. Stuart’s career has skyrocketed over the past few months as she was booked gig after gig. She now fronts clothing label Manifesta’s new line of fitness wear. Manifesta doesn’t work with numerical sizes because they don’t want women to feel the negative stigma associated with larger or smaller sizes. The brand is a perfect fit for Stuart, who struggled with her weight and recently lost 20 kilos.

Most excitingly, Stuart is the face of EverMaya’s new line of limited edition handmade bags: The Madeline. EverMaya called Stuart an inspirational model who is “redefining people’s perceptions of beauty”. And changing perceptions is exactly what Madeline Stuart set out to do. In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Stuart’s mother stated that it was time for people to realise that those with Down syndrome “can be sexy and beautiful”. Her mother believes that people with Down syndrome can do anything and it seems that society is slowly getting the message. Actress Lauren Potter stole the show as sassy Becky Jackson on Glee in 2009 and American Horror Story star Jamie Brewer made headlines when she walked for Carrie Hammer’s Role Models Not Runway Models show.

Now it is Madeline’s turn to shine on the catwalk. FTLModa posted on their Facebook page “beautiful Madeline will brighten up the runway at the VanderbiltHall,” and we look forward to seeing it.

Sally Wijers