It’s always good to hear when businesses showcase their ability to be inclusive and diverse.

The way we do business these days is so much more than just earning profits and making the company thrive for the sake of money. More and more companies these days are aware of what it means to be diverse and inclusive regarding the people they employ.

One beachwear brand from Florida has shown that being inclusive creates a positive impact. They did this by introducing the newest face of their brand, 16-year-old Ethan Holt.

Ethan is a young athlete and he has Down syndrome.

Surf Style, a beachwear company, met the young man thru Help Us Gather (HUG), a nonprofit organization that aims to promote the inclusion of people with special needs. The organization connected with the clothing company; ultimately, Ethan was chosen to be a model for the brand.

This was announced by Surf Style through a blog post.

“We jumped on the opportunity to include Ethan in our marketing, not only because of his incredible charismatic personality and love of the camera, but also to set an example of inclusion,” the beachwear company shared on Instagram.

The day of the photo shoot was a fun day indeed.

Ethan was invited to the flagship store of Surf Style in Clearwater Beach. He was given multiple outfits to model and he was such a professional.

He took on the role and smiled brightly as they took photo after photo of him wearing Surf Style items. He was untiring and excited to be modeling the brand. The colorful outfits he put on suited him and his vibrant personality.

Ethan’s glowing aura gave the beachwear brand a new charm.

Aside from his radiant smile, the young man is also the perfect model for the beachwear brand because he is an athlete himself. He loves water sports such as paddle boarding and swimming.

He is a part of his school’s team and he also swims for the Florida Division of the Special Olympics. He is very enthusiastic about water sports and even won gold medals not only at regional but also at state levels.

His mother, Phoy Holt, is very proud of her son.

“Anytime he gets to compete, whether its paddle board or swimming, he always gets gold,” she shared.

What’s even more amazing is that Ethan is active not only in water sports but also in other fields.

The young man also joins in fields such as wrestling, soccer, and baseball. He definitely is a sportsman and Surf Style chose the perfect model for their brand.

“He’s definitely that active guy that you would expect to be representing the brand,” says Robin Lally, the founder of HUG.

Ethan is dedicated to everything he does, and that includes modeling.

“He studies it, you know, he practices. So that’s when I realized, if he’s willing to do the work, and he gets it, then he’s good at it; so we thought he could make a career out of it. Models know how to move, and he brings his personality with it,” Robin further shared.

Surf Style is happy about choosing Ethan because of the “incredibly positive’ impact they made by choosing him as the face of their brand.

“He’s a big influence and example for all the little guys that also have Down Syndrome, and they see what he can do and [are] very proud of that,” Ethan’s mom says.

The young man is also proud of what he has achieved and is happy to be part of such a positive campaign. But, most of all, he seems to be happy about the fact that he is famous now. Aaw!

“My friends on the swim team and a couple of girls, even my coach knows, say I’m a famous model now,” says Ethan.

Witness Ethan’s charming photoshoot by watching the video below.

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Source: Positive Thoughts, 10 Tampa Bay, Instagram – Surf Style