11 Sep, 2018 @ 11:56
1 min read

Down syndrome girl from southern Spain makes history by walking at New York Fashion Week

model
MODEL: Avila
MODEL: Avila

A SPANISH Down syndrome model from Spain has made history by catwalking during New York Fashion week.

Marian Avila, 21, rocked a red dress and two others for Atlanta designer Talisha White, supported by her parents and siblings who were watching from the audience.

“I felt really happy and I really loved the runway,” explained Avila, from Alicante. “I wanted to show the world that there are no barriers.”

The designer – whose outfits focused on ‘prom, pageant and special occasions’ – found Avila on Facebook and wanted to help her make her dreams come true.


“She’s been a busy supermodel, meeting with all types of people,” White said of the attention Avila has received worldwide.

CATWALK: Avila in New York

“I’m very glad for her. She’s been meeting with Vogue (magazine) and with Harper’s Bazaar.

“She’s been meeting in different showrooms, different modeling agencies.”


White added: “I wanted to show not just one type of girl is beautiful. I like to showcase all types of girls, from pageant girls to models in wheelchairs, models with Down syndrome, models who are four feet and told they can never be a model. They are my ‘it’ girl.”


Avila revealed that she ‘practices modelling everyday’ and that she also wants to be an actress.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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