A two-year-old kid with Down syndrome is off to a great start in his modeling career.

Adorable Benjamin Shortland, a Winchester native who has appeared in Vogue before, has recently joined with the renowned modeling firm Zebedee.

The little child has now been hired for several projects and ads, such as a photo session for the upscale children’s fashion website Childrensalon, where he sports an opulent Dolce & Gabbana black-tie ensemble.

Benjamin, who was born in January 2020, just a few months before the UK’s first Covid lockdown, struggled to interact with other babies and people. His proud parents hope that his initiatives will encourage others.

‘People often tell us how cute he is, so one day we just decided to send his application off to do some modelling and give it a try, hoping he’d get a little work so we’d have something to show him when he’s older that he can be proud of,’ Mark remarked when he was nine months old.

‘We were overjoyed to learn that he had been admitted, and it was great to learn that he had landed his first job in February with Zebedee and Vogue.’

The parents raved about their son’s charming disposition and expressed their hopes for his development.

He is a natural, and he is already such a happy boy, but he excels in front of the camera, said Mark. He is a sociable young child who enjoys making new friends.

He can become a little overwhelmed, but as long as I or Aram are present, he is eager to socialize and participate. We’re hoping that this would boost his self-assurance.

We wanted him to have this chance because, in my opinion, it’s crucial to offer many kinds of representations and give people something to strive towards.

‘We would adore it if he served as an inspiration to others and demonstrated that everyone may achieve similar success.’