Actress Jamie Brewer just became the first model with Down syndrome to walk at New York Fashion Week.
She did so alongside other inspiring women for Carrie Hammer’s Role Models Not Runway Models show at the Lighthouse on Thursday.
Brewer told Buzz that all the women — who ranged from CEOs to authors — involved in the show were phenomenal. “They really are,” Brewer said. “Especially Carrie Hammer! It’s thanks to her we’re all here, and she came up with dresses that really show our personalities.”
People doubtless recognized some of Brewer’s spell-casting gestures on the runway as a reference to her witchy (and chic) turn as Nan on “American Horror Story: Coven.”
She noted that she had some influence over the black “American Horror Story”-inspired shirtwaist dress she wore. “On the runway I gave a subtle homage to some of the women in the show,” she said. “And also some of the men!”
Brewer said she believes seeing her walk at Fashion Week will make people rethink what a model can be “in a massive way.”
“You need to listen to your heart, because we have many dreams,” she added. “All we need to do is listen to our hearts and work to make them reality. Whether it’s modeling or screenwriting or anything, you can put your heart and soul into it. You can change, and you can change the world.”