Ellie Goldstein, Jillian Mercado and the models with disabilities championing difference in the fashion industry

Sep 7 , 2020

Models with disabilities: Azfar Firdaus, Ellie Goldstein and Jillian Mercado are finally getting the projects they deserve. Photo: @azfarovski; @elliejg16_zebedeemodel; @jillianmercado/Instagram

From New York Fashion Week to the cover of Teen Vogue, the fashion industry is finally beginning to champion inclusivity and diversity, and featuring models with disabilities

Let’s face it: the fashion industry isn’t exactly famous for diversity when it comes to showcasing its clothes. A quick glance at the vital statistics of a handful of the world’s highest-paid models (the likes of Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid et al) is enough to illustrate just how cookie-cutter the runway has become. So it was about time that brands, designers and fashion editors began to dress women (and men) more representative of the rest of the population.

In recent months it’s become clear that efforts are being made across the board to make the fashion industry a more inclusive platform, so thank goodness for these models, who are finally starting to gain traction in the spotlight and show the world why diversity is beautiful – and important.

Ellie Goldstein

Currently represented by Zebeedee Management, Ellie Goldstein is a British model with Down’s syndrome. If the 18-year-old looks familiar, it’s probably because you’ve just seen her in Gucci Beauty’s latest campaign. Rumour has it that Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele handpicked her as the face of the brand’s beauty division himself.

Jillian Mercado

Latina actress and model Jillian Mercado was diagnosed with spastic muscular dystrophy as a teen and, as a fashion marketing major, worried that women like her would never be represented by the brands she admired. She answered a casting call for Diesel and ended up being signed by IMG Models, one of the world’s biggest modelling agencies that represents Giselle Bundchen and Kate Moss, among others. She has since appeared in numerous fashion campaigns (including that Diesel one!) and been on the cover of Teen Vogue.

Chelsea Werner