Little stars become face of fashion
TWO little girls with Down Syndrome have been chosen to be the faces of a children’s party clothes shop.
Emma Louise Breen, aged 31, of Waterside, Marple, owns Little Betty’s Boutique on London Road, Hazel Grove.
She specialises in flower girl and special occasion wear for girls up to 11 years old and runs modelling campaigns for children every year.
For the 2019 campaign, she had more than 1,000 applications from girls wanting to become the face of Little Betty’s, but for Emma one child stood out – Cora Bishop, a sevenyear-old girl who happened to have Down Syndrome, a genetic condition which can cause growth delays, intellectual disability and characteristic facial features.
Mum-of-two Emma says she ‘fell in love with Cora the moment she opened her email’.
Cora went straight into the final five and was chosen as the winner by the followers on Emma’s business Facebook page, racking up thousands of votes.
“When I chose Cora as a finalist I didn’t see Down Syndrome, I just saw a beautiful little girl, and that’s the way we feel all people should view the world,” Emma added.
From talking to Cora’s mum, Sheryl Bishop, Emma learned about the work that the family did to raise awareness of Down Syndrome and saw how the condition shouldn’t stop Cora from doing anything that she put her mind to.
Emma got in contact with a friend through social media, Julie Britton, whose five-yearold daughter Connie also has Down Syndrome.
She asked Cora, who lives in Wrexham, and Connie, from Leeds, to take part in a photo shoot for Little Betty’s together – and on Sunday, February 3, the girls posed for the camera to create stunning shots for Emma’s website.
Sheryl said: “I’m very proud. Cora went to a public vote when Little Betty’s Boutique were looking for their new face and she absolutely smashed it. It was an incredible week and the support we received was phenomenal.
“Cora loves modelling, she also loves beautiful dresses, so this is her dream job.”
Julie added: “Connie loves all the attention and really enjoys getting dressed up. She also likes horse riding, playing on her bike, gymnastics, playing with her friends and with her dog Doris.
“We are just so proud of everything she has achieved and she is testament that you can be anything you want to be.”