Meet the Young Supermodel Who's Changing The Face of The Industry

What do Karlie Kloss, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Madeline Stuart have in common? They're some of the most buzzed about supermodels in the industry. But what separates Australia-based, 21-year-old Madeline Stuart from her catwalking peers is that she has Down's Syndrome — and she's using it as a platform to redefine beauty standards, spark conversation about social inclusion, and inspire others to pursue their own goals.

In August 2015, Stuart's mother, Rosanne, took her to a fashion runway show, and she instantly fell in love with the idea of becoming a model herself.

“All the women on the catwalk looked like they were having fun, and also they looked confident and beautiful," Stuart told SWAAY in an exclusive interview. “I wanted people to see me — and all differently abled people — that way, also. I told my mum I wanted to be a model, and she organized a photoshoot a few months later to see if I actually would like modeling, which I did."

Her mother shared the professional images with a closed group comprised of members who had friends and family with Down's Syndrome, too. She said she wanted to have someone else to talk to about the images, but was overwhelmed by the incredible feedback that followed.

Overnight, the pictures received over 50,000 likes, and within a week her photo was popping up in people's feeds all over the world. Shortly after, she booked her first modeling gig.

Since that fateful shoot, Stuart's gone viral on numerous occasions and has garnered nearly a million fans across her social media channels. Beyond that, her career as a model has blossomed impressively. She's strutted the runway at New York Fashion Week (the second model with Down's Syndrome ever to do so), Paris Fashion Week, Caspian Fashion Week, and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week China. She's also landed editorial shoots and advertising campaigns in the bridal, fitness, and lifestyle sectors.

In addition to focusing on her career, Stuart's also deliberately shared her story with countless media outlets, including big-name publications like Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, CNN, ABC, Good Housekeeping, and Women's Day. People have responded as you might expect: by championing her and rooting for her success along the way.

However, telling her story to the world has done more than simply leave people basking in a cocoon of warm and fuzzy feelings. Her experience — and her presence in ad campaigns and runways — has sparked important conversations about the inclusion of differently abled people in the modeling industry, and other industries. As such, Stuart has made it her mission to be an ambassador for real change, and her talent, charisma and confidence has made her unstoppable.

Interestingly, she's quick to acknowledge that a chunk of her success is ironically attributed to her Down's Syndrome.

“I think if you have a different ability, society does not think you are capable of greatness. So, if you do something that is out of the ordinary that stands out, people will notice you more easily," Stuart said.

That's exactly what happened when her photos went viral, and Stuart seized the momentum.

“Because I do not have all the insecurities a lot of people have, and I believe in myself 100 percent, when I was given the opportunity to do lots of amazing things I did them without hesitation," she said. “Because I did these things, a lot of people have noticed, and it has given me a platform to encourage others to strive for greatness and believe in themselves also."

Amid the feel-good fall out of her catapulted fame — and feeling blessed along the way for her success — Stuart still has her struggles as a model within the industry. In fact, when asked about her primary challenges as a model, she told SWAAY that actually changing people's perspectives on how they perceive disability is the most difficult part of her journey.

“We, as society, have had the mindset for a long time if we include someone with a disability we are doing them a favor, and that the inclusion is the only payment necessary," said Stuart. “We have to try to start seeing people with different abilities as equals who also are working and struggling and also need to be treated equally on a commercial basis."

The takeaway here is that though Stuart wants to inspire people through her own work as a supermodel, one of her primary goals is to carve a way for others who don't conform to traditional beauty standards, and to demonstrate that differently abled people are just as capable of succeeding across a multiple of industries as anyone else.

That translates into changing everyone's perspective, including those who are differently abled themselves.

“Just because you do not fit with what society thought for a long time was beautiful does not mean you are not beautiful. We are all beautiful — in all our shapes and sizes —and we all have different qualities that we can input into our world to make it a better place," she said. “Don't be scared of failure. Believe in yourself and if you do fail, focus on the belief you tried and that is all that matters. We worry too much about the ending and we should be just enjoying the journey."

To learn more about Stuart, check out her website. You can also follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.