Fashionista not letting her 4-foot-1 stature get in way of dreams

By Katie Pearson via SWNS

Meet the 4ft 1inch fashionista taking the catwalk by storm - after refusing to let her short stature hold her back from her modelling dream.

Glory Quinonez, 33, was born with achondroplasia dwarfism - a bone growth disorder resulting in shorter upper arms and legs.

When growing up, she often dealt with bullies in school who would mock her disability and cruelly "point and laugh" at her.

But Glory claims her keen sense of fashion “won over” her classmates, who loved her style.

Her passion for modelling was sparked when the charity Courageous Face Foundation reached out to her on Facebook.

They arranged for Glory to walk the runway in the iconic New York Fashion Week in 2015.

She made history as the first Hispanic person with dwarfism to take part in the prestigious event.

Glory went on to wow audiences in October 2023 at Brooklyn Fashion Week, walking for an up-and-coming designer.

She caught the eye of more fashion houses and is now set to walk New York and Paris Fashion Week in 2024.

Glory, a tour guide at the museum of ice cream, from New York, US: “Walking down the catwalk was like a dream come true for me.

“I felt like I was born to be a model.

“I want to break the barriers down for all the little people out there to follow their dreams.

“Especially in the fashion industry, which can be cut-throat.

“But I’ve found it can be so accepting – things are really changing.”

Glory was diagnosed with dwarfism in the womb, and said her parents were offered the chance to “have an abortion”.

She was raised in New York, before moving to Florida aged 12.

Glory said growing up was difficult as she encountered nasty comments from other kids, but she had ways of dealing with it.

She said: “I went to a Spanish high school, and everyone knew me as the token ‘little person’.

“I often got horrible comments from kids who would say, ‘look at that midget’.

“That would really hurt me, it’s a really discriminatory and offensive term for someone with Dwarfism.

“They'd also point and laugh saying I was 'so short'.

"I felt like I was America's most wanted.

“But I never let it get me down, and I won people over with my fashion.

“I became quite cool and popular for my style.

“The kids said I had ‘swag’ and came to me for advice.”

Glory loved the idea of modelling, but never pursued it because she didn’t expect to get far in the industry with her disability.

She moved back to New York aged 20, in 2010, and got a degree in criminal justice at Nyack University, Manhattan, NY.

Glory nearly gave up on her modelling dream, until she was contacted on Facebook by Trish Morris, the president of Courageous Faces Foundation in 2015.

Trish was working with designer, Gregory Taylor, who wanted to showcase diversity in their clothing line and asked Glory to be involved.

She was invited to take part in the show, and Glory got model the collection at New York Fashion Week 2015.

Glory said: "I couldn't believe it went Trish reached out to me.

“It was unbelievable experience.

“I made history as the first Hispanic little person to do it.

“I fell in love with modelling, and everything that goes into making a fashion show.”

In September 2019, Glory walked in New York fashion week for designer Bunny Benton.

After that, Glory was an intern for a creative fashion director, Rick Davy, who mentored her while she helped out backstage at Brooklyn Fashion Week 2022.

But she was keen to get into modelling, so reached out to a new designer, CeCe Hind, who was showcasing a line at Brooklyn Fashion Week in 2023.

Glory took the catwalk once again and wowed onlookers - landing herself jobs at Paris and New York Fashion Week in 2024.

She has also signed up to FIT fashion school in New York, and is due to start a fashion design course in September 2024.

Glory said: “I love modelling, and I have so much fun doing it.

“My ultimate dream is to being a creative director of a fashion label - directing my own shows.

"I've put a lot of hard work, getting involved in shows and putting myself out there.

"I really hope I can inspire other people with disabilities not to shy away.

"We can achieve anything we put our minds to."