In recent years, the world has continued to open up more and has become increasingly inclusive of people with Down syndrome. We’ve seen several children and young adults who are living with Down syndrome become models with lucrative careers. Now, a gorgeous little two-year-old girl has become the face of a new children’s fashion campaign. Eleanor Manton will be featured in the autumn/winter 2020 catalog for fashion chain JoJo Maman Bébé. To make this new campaign even more revolutionary, the photos for the campaign will all be taken by Eleanor’s mom on her iPhone, something that has never been done before, as far as we’ve been able to ascertain.
The adorable little girl was spotted by talent scouts for JoJo Maman Bébé when they were perusing Instagram and found Eleanor’s family account. They got in touch with Eleanor’s 36-year-old mom, Helen, and sent her some of their latest items for the adorable little Eleanor to model for the catalog. Helen revealed the heartwarming news via an Instagram post, saying, “So here it is, it’s official! “What an absolute dream come true… our beautiful girl is an Autumn/Winter 2020 model for @jojomamanbebe. Some of you may have already seen this image in your postbox this morning. We are so unbelievably proud of you Eleanor, you’re such a superstar.”
The company shared the same adorable photo of Eleanor on their own Instagram account. The captioned the photo with a description of their New Autumn collection and talked about Eleanor, describing her as “an excitable and loving 2 year old.” Eleanor loves being outdoors and had a blast taking the photos for the clothing retailer. According to Helen, Eleanor “has thrived during lockdown and started walking in the first few weeks.” Her mom says that having both mom and dad home due to being furloughed has allowed her to spend more time with them both. “That’s the reason why Eleanor is progressing so much, she has interaction with us both all the time,” Helen said.
The little girl loves Mr. Tumble and mostly communicates with Makaton, a communication aid that uses signs, symbols, and speech to enable people to communicate. JoJo Maman Bébé makes it a point to help break down barriers for people with disabilities, they say on their website. They’ve been voted Best Employer in the Disability Awards by the Down’s Syndrome Association. They’re also recognized for their ongoing effort to work with people who have learning disabilities by ordering work placements or full contract employment.
Below, you can watch a video of Eleanor walking without aid for the first time. It was recorded in May and has warmed the hearts of people all over the world.
Here's Eleanor marching into the weekend…. look at that sass – no need for a walker for me anymore mummy, I just need cake (signing).
Posted by Positive About Down Syndrome on Friday, May 22, 2020