Madeline Stuart (born 13 November 1996) is an Australian model with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

. She has appeared on the

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

catwalk A fashion show ( French ''défilé de mode'') is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fa ...

, and has also walked Paris fashion week, London fashion week, Runway Dubai, Russian fashion week, Mercedes Benz fashion week China and many more. She has been described as the world's first professional model with Down syndrome. Stuart decided that she wanted to be a model upon visiting a fashion show in Brisbane with her mother in 2014. She lost and then attended a photoshoot. Stuart's career began in 2015, when her mother started an online campaign in order to secure her a modelling contract. This led to Stuart gaining a large online following and signing two modelling contracts: one with the fitness-wear brand ''Manifesta'' and one with the handbag brand ''everMaya''. She subsequently took part in a

bridal A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, brides ...

photoshoot for Rixey Manor in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and appeared in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''.

Early life

Madeline was born in Brisbane, Australia. When she was born, doctors informed Rosanne Stuart, Madeline's mother, that Madeline had

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

(Trisomy 21). After going into heart failure at 10 days old, Madeline had heart surgery weeks later. After she was born, doctors told Rosanne that her daughter would have a difficult lifestyle. Despite receiving negative feedback from the medical community, Rosanne was committed to helping Madeline live life to the fullest. Her modelling career began when she was 18 years old. Her love of modelling began in 2014, after attending a fashion parade with her mother Rosanne and said to her “mum me model”. Rosanne knew it would take a lot of work and dedication, and told Madeline if she wanted to commit to the journey, she would fully support her, which lead to Madeline dedicating herself to becoming a model and making her dreams come true. She struggled with her weight for a long time, and in early 2015 she decided to get healthy and chase after her dreams which included dance and lost over 20 kg. After posting a transformation photo on Facebook, she went viral and gained over 100,000 followers overnight. For the six consecutive seasons since, she has walked on some of the world's most famous runways in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and more. And in 2017,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

named Madeline number one for Diversity in the Fashion Industry.

Career

Stuart's career began in 2015 when Madeline Stuart first walked a catwalk show at the

, she made international news becoming the first ever professional adult model with

Down's Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...

. She launched her own fashion label, 21 Reasons Why by Madeline Stuart at

. She is also a high-profile advocate of the disability community in Australia and overseas and was nominated for the Pride of Australia and Young Australian of the Year Award in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2016 she opened

Birmingham Fashion Week Birmingham Fashion Week (BFW), was a series of annual fashion week events, held between 2011 and 2016 in Birmingham, Alabama. The event showcased three nights of runway shows, featuring both local designers and national brands. Student Competiti ...

. Internationally Madeline was awarded the Advocacy Award for her work in Uganda from Kulture City in 2017, and received the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award from Global Down Syndrome in 2018. Madeline continually supports countless charity organisations from Veteran Affairs,

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

, Melange, and Step Up for Downs in America. She works tirelessly with the charities to further spread her message of diversity and inclusion. She is also the founder and ambassador for Inside Outside Dance in Brisbane, which supports young people with disabilities who want to join the dance industry.

Awards and recognition

Madeline is the brand ambassador for

Australian Foundation for Disability Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD) is a not for profit Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE) that supports people living with a disability, with bases in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. History Originally established as the ...

, Art Hearts Fashion, Wouldn't Change a thing and the

Brisbane Disability Expo Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. She was Invited by

Down Syndrome association Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a t ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

and by Cairns Businesswomen's Club as a guest speaker. She was nominated for the Pride of Australia and Young Australian of the Year Award in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Internationally Madeline was awarded the Advocacy Award for her work in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

from Kulture City in 2017, and received the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award from Global Down Syndrome in 2018.

References

External links

Official siteMadeline Stuart
on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

Madeline Stuart
on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Madeline Australian female models People with Down syndrome Australian people with disabilities Living people People from Brisbane Models with disabilities 1996 births