Kate Grant is an Irish model. Since she was a little kid, she always dreamed of making it big in the fashion industry. She is from County Tyrone and like most girls her age; she also wanted to become a supermodel. Most parents would discourage a young girl like her to pursue this career, but not Kate’s parents.
Diedre Grant is very confident that her 20-year-old daughter would be able to succeed in this industry. Even though Kate has Down Syndrome, this did not stop her from following her dreams. Now that the world of beauty and fashion opened up to more diverse faces and body types, Kate is more confident that her drive and ambition will lead her to success.
She recently had her latest triumph – a contract with Benefit Cosmetics!
Kate Grant will be the very first Benefit Cosmetics model with Down syndrome. This is not the first work that Kate had. In fact, she Kate has already modeled for the British department store, Debenhams. She also made the headlines worldwide when she won the Teen Ultimate Beauty of the World pageant in 2018.
She was so popular that even the BBC One Northern Ireland aired a documentary that followed Kate and her mom for six weeks while she went to different fashion castings. This show was titled, True North: Role Model. When it aired, it caught the attention of the Benefit Cosmetics executives. Then, they reached out to her.
She started working for Benefit and her first photos that were decked out in the company’s eyeliner garnered positive feedback from all around the world. This photo also appeared on Benefit’s Instagram page earlier this year.
They posted the picture with a caption:
“WING WOMAN WEDNESDAY 💖 Introducing our first #wingwomanwednesday the gorgeous @kategrantmodel 💖 Kate is using #rollerliner in black and it’s got us like 😍 #justwingit#benefit#beauty #eyeliner 📷 Image Description: a photo of model Kate Grant wearing new Roller Liner eyeliner”
A spokesperson from Benefit told Daily Mail that making the decision to hire Kate was an easy choice. They immediately fell in love with Kate and her energy was so infectious. They were captivated by her incredible zest for life and determination. The spokesperson also explained that Kate embodied everything that they were looking for as a brand and they knew that they had to find a way to work with her.
Kate’s contract with Benefit is something to be proud of, especially for the disabled community. This is Benefit’s way of making someone with a visible disability, more visible worldwide. The company is just showing us that each of our differences makes us great. Her success is helping others who also have Down Syndrome, to see themselves as part of the beauty and fashion community.
During an interview with UK’s Metro, her mom said, “She is paving the way for people coming behind her. Kate is aware of that and wants to spread awareness about inclusion for a person with disabilities and that is what she has done from the very start. She is aware that she is able to do that in a way some of her friends cannot. She is using her voice for them.”
She may be a model with Down syndrome but she does not let this define her. She is not just a model but is also an ambassador for those with disabilities.
