A toddler with Down syndrome has become a succesful Instagram influencer and modeled for top fashion brands including Gap Kids. Emmett Lowry, from California, has shot to fame after adorable photos posted to his Instagram feed, with luxury babywear brands DokATot and Tenth & Pine also employing the one year-old.
Emmett’s rise to fame is all thanks to his mom, Sarah, 29, who decided to start an Instagram page as a parenting and Down syndrome support blog when he was born.
She has posted photos of Emmett online ever since, leading to his popularity has soar. Sarah, who works as a nurse, says hopes Emmett’s modeling will help contribute to an increase in ‘public acceptance’ for children with Down syndrome.
Mother-of-two, Sarah, said: ‘When we found out about the diagnosis when I was 13 weeks pregnant I was very worried about how Emmett would be received and treated.
‘As a parent I want to try to teach society to accept children like Emmett for who they are, and not as a child with a disability. People do tend to have pre-conceived perceptions so it’s all about knocking those walls down.
‘I’ve just been taking photos of everyday life and our family and one day I tagged Gap Kids in a post because he was wearing one of their sweaters. They asked if they could re-post it, and they have over 1 million followers, so that felt massive for me.
‘That was a huge help and it does feel like we’ve had a bit of a breakthrough with things like that now.
‘I am surprised at how well he has been received online and for me it’s all about showing the world Emmett is just like any other child. Anything I can do to increase acceptance and raise awareness is great.’
Sarah and her husband Dallas, 30, who works for the United States Postal Service, admit they were nervous about what life would be like for them as parents of a child with Down syndrome. Sarah said she was conscious people may look down on Emmett because he has a disability.
Emmett’s condition is caused by an extra chromosome in a baby’s cells that results in some level of learning disability and differences in a baby’s physical appearance.
The condition has meant Emmett has struggled to meet some baby and toddler milestones as quickly as other children, but has not stopped him from leading a happy, healthy and normal life just like any other child.
Sarah said she wanted to make a point of this by creating an Instagram page dedicated to Emmett, showing photos of him growing up and thriving in his early years, with the mom delighted when the uplifting page began to take off in popularity with fans and brands.
‘Initially I just wanted it to be a page for our family photos and as a blog so I can provide help and support to other families who are dealing with a Down syndrome diagnosis’, said Sarah, who runs a nonprofit organization called Love That Surpasses.
‘I want to show that it’s not as scary as you first thing it might be, Emmett is very happy and very loving like any other child. He lights up the room and is always smiling, he loves to be around people.’
Earlier this month Sarah was contacted by Gap Kids on Instagram after she posted a photo of Emmett wearing one of their sweaters. The brand loved how good he looked wearing their product so much, that they asked for permission to share the photo to their own Instagram feed, which has 1.2 million followers.
The major breakthrough for Emmett has added to his other modeling duties for DockATot and Tenth & Pine. These two major retailers have a deal in place which sees them send Emmett products for free in exchange for exposure in posts on Sarah’s Instagram feed.
Emmett’s page has almost 2,000 followers, and he’s just secured another deal with baby and children’s accessory retailer, Mushie. The brand will soon begin sending Emmett products like toys, bibs and pacifiers for him to model in photos for his page.
Sarah said has no explanation for why Emmett has been hand-picked by so many top brands, and can only attribute his popularity to his ‘amazing smile’,
She said: ‘The fact that big companies have reached out is great for the message of inclusion and acceptance.
‘As him mom I really see his worth and value and as a parent it feels great to push that message out there.
‘Emmett smiles an awful lot and at everyone he sees. He brings out the best in everyone and people do tell me how cute he is. I am really proud of who he is becoming and what we are doing together.’
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/12/toddler-one-syndrome-has-become-instagram-fashion-model-12686151/
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