KALTBLUT presents: We Are Here Too! A fashion story about visibility, dignity, and the joy of life. This portrait series was created together with girls with Down syndrome from Kazakhstan. Through fashion and emotion, we want to say something simple – yet essential: every person deserves to be seen and heard.
In Kazakhstan, people with Down syndrome are rarely talked about. We don’t see them in media, on covers, or in campaigns and almost never in fashion. But they are part of our society. They feel, they dream, they laugh, they love. They live. They understand life more deeply and sincerely than neurotypical people do. Fashion isn’t just about trends. It’s a language. A space to be yourself and tell your story. And this shooting is exactly about that.
WE ARE HERE TOO: Interview with girls with Down syndrome about love, life, and happiness
We asked these questions to Nonna and Natalie — two young women with Down syndrome. And we received answers no one could have predicted, because in every word they spoke, there was a purity of perception and a sincerity only possible from someone unafraid to be unmasked.
We listened not with our ears, but with our hearts.
It is in these quiet, radiant voices, the ones that have gone unnoticed for far too long – that true meaning is born. We believe that every voice deserves to be heard. Especially those that society has grown used to overlooking.
With deep gratitude to our inspiring heroines: Natalie Vrublevskaya and Zhansaya (Nonna) Mukhamedzhanova
This project was created with love by:
Creative Direction: Iulianna Shilova Instagram: @iulianna_shilova_style
Photography & Videography: Arman Shamenov Instagram: @armanshamenov
Makeup Artist: Tanya Sadovskaya Instagram: @artbabes__
Hair Stylist: Kamilla Akhmadiyeva Instagram: @kamilla_sun_kz
Special thanks for your support and kindness:
Venera Instagram: @mellosskaya_photo and Mel Photo Studio Instagram: @melphotostudio
Elena, Kunsulu, Tatyana, Maria, Zhenya, Young Special Astana Instagram: @youngspecial_astana,
Thank you for being part of this story – a story about beauty, strength and individuality.
