Meet: Cecilia Cassini,
Young Fashion Maven
Cecilia Cassini is certainly not your average 10-year-old kid. This fifth grader from Encino, California just founded her own fashion line and has been dubbed, America's youngest fashion designer. She is even making a profit for herself by selling the handmade clothing for tweens at select Los Angeles boutiques. She's also been filling special orders that are coming in from around the world.
Her motto: "You don't have to be an adult to do worthwhile things."
According to her mom, Cecilia's passion has always been fashion. From the time she could point, she was putting together her own outfits, and regularly came home from preschool with designs painted or glued onto her clothing. But it wasn't until she was 5 years old that her family fully understood her level of interest in clothing, when she "redesigned" her older sister's dress. She received her first sewing machine on her sixth birthday and immediately started creating her masterpieces.
Many of her dresses are made from old repurposed clothing that she scores from the closets of her older sister, mom, and friends instead of buying new fabrics. She strives to be a very eco-concious designer and even donates dresses to charitable foundations and to homeless children around the world.
Her first trunk show was in November 2009, at Tough Cookies Childrens Boutique in Sherman Oaks, California. Thanks to a little thing called publicity, including a CBS segment AND a front-page story in the Los Angeles Daily News, people lined up outside the store before it opened. Cecilia left with an empty trunk and she's been filling orders ever since.
This young entrepreneur has caught the eye of many household names, such as Diane von Furstenburg (seen here), whom she met at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City (yes, she received an invitation!). She's even hitting young Hollywood by storm, with celebrity parents like Denise Richards ordering pieces for her own daughters, and Bella Thorne of HBO's "Big Love" requested a custom dress to be featured in an episode. Just recently, her collection has been picked up by upscale department store, Fred Segal, in Southern California.
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Meet: Aelita Andre,
Young Painter Extraordinaire
Like most 2-year-olds, Aelita Andre loves to play with paints, but instead of hanging on the fridge, this Australian toddlers' works are in an art gallery. Her parents, both artists, insist their daughter's works are all her own, and that they noticed her talent on the canvas at an early age.
Aelita's parents often took her to art galleries, and gave her canvases and acrylic paints - just like other parents provide paper and crayons for their children.
Her paintings went on display in an exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, alongside works by many established adult artists. The owner of the gallery found out her age only after accepting the works and promoting the exhibit. Her paintings are a beautiful showcase of the quality of a child's imagination.
The paintings are priced at between $240 and $1,400. Her parents have created and trust in Aelita's name, and said proceeds from any sale will be placed there.
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Meet: Cleopatra Stratan,
Young Singing Sensation
7-year old, Cleopatra Stratan is one of the youngest people ever to score commercial success as a singer, with her 2006 album La vârsta de trei ani (at the ripe ole age of 3). It all began when her father, also a singer, was in the recording studio and little Cleo was playfully singing along. They turned notice to his daughter, and shockingly decided to make her the lead vocals on the song, "Mama" -- after that, she recorded an entire album and performed at concerts.
She made the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest talent ever (3 years old) to perform on stage, have her own album and already record several videos. She is the youngest artist to receive an MTV award and the youngest artist to have a #1 hit in a country - La vârsta de trei ani went double platinum in the summer of 2006, with her biggest hit being "Ghiţă". She is becoming known as the "new" Shirley Temple.
Last July, she launched her own Cleopatra doll, created according to her figure and wearing clothes similar to the ones she wore in her debut hit song. After having become the youngest singer with the most albums sold, at the age of five Cleo has now become a millionaire in euros. She is included in the top of the richest minors.
