It’s not new to see well-known brands that recruit children to be their endorsers and models. Most of the time, these jobs are seen as stepping stones for these young ones in their future endeavors.
Recently, kids are proving even that they can stand out in the big leagues. For Louis Vuitton Men’s campaign shoot, Virgil Abloh picked out kids to wear and model the latest pieces. According to a statement, the collection pays homage to The Wizard of Oz and the models are meant to “embody the purity of infancy, still unaffected by preordained perceptions of gender, colour and creed.” One of the stars of the campaign is a three-year-old named Anyieth who’s wearing an oversized tie-dyed sweater.
Another model that made waves on social media were the kids who walked for Vietnamese designer Ivan Tran at the Asian Kids Fashion Week. The favorite was a girl who worked the runway with a yellow train like a pro.
Haircare brand Pantene also had the Instagram-famous baby Chanco from Japan for their #HairWeGo campaign. The one-year-old was chosen because of her unique head of hair.
These “toddler supermodels” (as I like to call them) may be the start of a trend wherein brands would capitalize on the adorable and make it fierce. Even if they’re not part of a brand’s promo materials, you’ll see several kids with large followings and sponsorships on Instagram. One example is Cleo Amiotonu, who is Bretman Rock’s niece.
At the same time, this might raise some concern on exploitation and sexualization if brands make a misstep in how they direct these young models.
What are your thoughts on utilizing toddlers for lookbooks and campaigns? Do you find it cute or do you feel iffy about hiring models at such a young age?
Art by Marian Hukom
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