Karrie Brown’s path to stardom began when the 17-year-old aspiring model started a Facebook page designed to catch Wet Seal executives’ attention.
“We recently found out that Wet Seal has started carrying plus size clothing, which happens to be a great fit and fashion for girls with Down Syndrome,” Karrie’s mom, Sue, wrote. “Every day we are going to post a picture of Karrie in a different fashion to show she CAN do this.”
In the photos, it’s clear Karrie has the makings of a model: She has a killer smile, fierce repertoire of poses and a passion for modeling. She also happens to have Down syndrome.
“She immediately caught our attention,” Wet Seal’s Yasmin Ezaby told ABC News. “We then asked our fans to get Karrie’s Facebook page to 10k likes and we would give her the trip of a lifetime. She exceeded this goal in two days.”
After surpassing (and then doubling) the goal, Wet Seal flew Karrie and her mom from Illinois to California. Karrie then got the star treatment with a trip to Disneyland and her very own photoshoot.
“She asked for Justin Bieber so she could sing and dance while shooting,” Yasmin explained of Karrie’s Aug. 30 modeling session. “It was loads of fun. She was a natural in front of the camera.”
According to ABC News, Wet Seal will roll out Karrie’s photos in the coming weeks. The company, which “believes in diversity and inclusion,” already shared some preview pictures on social media.
Now that one of her big dreams has come true, Karrie’s setting her sights on another goal: Dancing on stage with Ellen DeGeneres! Hop on over to Karrie’s Facebook or Twitter pages to show your support.
