Most of us have been conditioned over the years to believe that the fashion business only has places for the most perfect-looking people.
Of course, this is wrong. What perfection means can be different for every person, and every person is perfect in his/her own way. Thankfully, it seems that the fashion industry is finally beginning to understanding that.
As a result, we’re now seeing different kinds of beauty in the campaigns of big brands. Inclusion is trendy and, hopefully, here to stay.
Ellie Goldstein is an 18 year-old girl with Down syndrome from Essex, UK. Ellie is also one of the most famous Gucci models around, and one who has generated more than 800,000 “likes” on one Instagram post!
Ellie was chosen for the Gucci Beauty Glitch Campaign and has participated in the Gucci Beauty and Photo Vogue Festival.
In 2019, the company began the search for a new model to show off their makeup line. Ellie’s was the face they were looking for. The campaign, focused on the L’Obscur mascara, was finally launched in June of 2020.
Ellie describes herself on Instagram as: “Passionate about drama, modelling & dance. Living life to the full & following my dreams”.
Ellie is now seeing her dreams come true, thanks to the new and more inclusive vision of the fashion industry. The young model is represented by the Zebedee Management agency, which is focused on representing models with special needs.
”Our models are beautiful! No ifs, no buts, no excuses. Talent and beauty don’t care how many legs you have or what condition you were born with,” the agency says on its website.
Zebedee has the goal of redefining what ‘perfection’ in beauty really is.
“As a specialist modeling agency, we’re passionate about redefining the perfection of beauty, disability and diversity”.
The agency believes that with the right opportunities and support ”amazing things can happen to amazing people”.
And that is exactly what happened to Ellie. The model has proven a massive hit with followers of the Gucci brand on Instagram, having racked up as many as 800,000 likes on a single post.
Not only that, but Ellie also won the attention of the media, and has been interviewed several times on TV and for magazines. She even got to be on the front page of GLAMOUR.
Ellie’s family are very proud of their daughter’s achievements: “We’re all incredibly proud of Ellie and all the lovely comments she has had on Gucci’s Instagram,” her mom, Yvonne, told Channel5 News.
“She has always loved being in the limelight and in front of the camera, she’s very confident and good at taking direction”.
Ellie also confirmed that she is very passionate about her job: “I really enjoyed the modelling and loved wearing the Gucci dress. I’m really proud of the photoshoot and would love to be famous. I’m looking forward to modelling for other brands.”
The talented model has also appeared in campaigns for Superdrug and Nike over the past two years.
It’s beautiful that more and more people are accepting and appreciating diversity. Let’s face it, we’re all unique in our way, and that should be celebrated!
Please share Ellie’s inspiring story!
