4-Year-Old Model With Down Syndrome Struts Catwalks in Fashion Weeks, Wins Awards

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An adorable, confident 4-year-old girl with Down syndrome lit up the catwalk during a fashion show for disabled models in Malta. Her mother is hoping that the little girl’s stage presence will help raise awareness for children with disabilities.

Francesca Rausi beamed and waved at the audience as she strutted the catwalk in early November 2019. Dressed in high fashion garments, the models were each given their moment on the runway, and Francesca looked to be enjoying every second.

The young model was also joined on the catwalk by Australian model Madeline Stuart, 23, the world’s first catwalk model with Down syndrome. Stuart has been praised for challenging beauty standards since her career began; it was a significant moment for Francesca to share the stage with her role model.

Francesca’s proud parents, Michelle and Roderick, hope that their daughter can follow in Madeline’s footsteps.

“Francesca has been modeling since she was very young,” Michelle told Metro. “She loves it, and was the first toddler in Malta to take part in a modeling competition and win ‘Junior Top Model.’”

To date, Francesca has modeled in numerous catwalk fashion shows including Paris Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Runway Dubai, Russia Fashion Week, and Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in China, as per Lovin Malta.

According to the Daily Mail, the confident 4-year-old even took home the “Best Cutie Little Model” prize at an international fashion event and was crowned “Best Junior Super Model” at the Miss Junior Malta 2019 competition.

Watching her daughter’s Miss Junior Malta appearance, Michelle described feeling very emotional. “I see the happiness in her eyes,” she told Metro. “It’s out of this world.”

The charity show, organized to encourage the inclusion of people with disabilities in the fashion industry, featured 22 models aged between 4 and 24. Event organizer Tiziana Randisi explained: “Our goal is to create a real inclusion, trying to involve all the different disabilities by breaking down the mental barriers of those who see disability as a limit.”

Four-year-old Francesca’s star is shining brighter and brighter; on Dec. 1, the young model was awarded the title of “Little Miss Christmas” at a Maltese modeling competition of the same name.

Francesca’s mother maintains social media pages for her daughter to chronicle her modeling escapades. If Francesca decides to pursue a career as a professional model, Michelle hopes that her visibility in the fashion world will help raise awareness about Down syndrome.

According to Yahoo Lifestyle, as of 2019, there are 43 models with Down syndrome who are currently making waves in the realms of fashion and advertising. Representing huge international brands such as Lidl, Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Nordstrom, these models are helping nurture public perceptions on what it means to be beautiful, all around the world.

Baby-product market leader Gerber even recruited Lucas Warren, a toddler with Down syndrome from Dalton, Georgia, as the face of their company for 2018. Warren was chosen from among more than 140,000 entries.

“Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber’s longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby,” Gerber’s CEO Bill Partyka told Today at the time. “This year, Lucas is the perfect fit.”

“We’re hoping this will impact everyone, that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited,” Warren’s father, Jason, added. “They have the potential to change the world, just like everybody else.”