From high school to high fashion: N.S. teen prepares to walk the runway in Paris

16-year-old model Ethan Horton prepares to walk in Paris Fashion Week.

A high school student from North Alton, N.S., is getting ready to take the fashion world by storm.

“I get to take a trip to Europe,” Ethan Horton said.

The 16-year-old said he’s been modelling for about a year, but this trip will present some milestones. He flies to London on Feb. 2. After that, he takes a train to Paris for the big show.

“I’ll be walking in Paris Fashion Week,” Horton said. After that, he’s off to Milan, Italy.

“Overall, I’m just really excited for the trip.”

Horton’s mother, Jennie Ettinger, is very supportive but she admits she has some bias.

“As a mom, you do think your kid’s pretty cute,” Ettinger said. “But we did have a lot of people saying that he should get into modelling.”

Ettinger said they pursued the idea after her son showed interest and she’s pleased to see how much it’s helped him grow.

“When he steps in front of the camera, something switches on him and it’s like a completely different person and that’s what I like to see,” Ettinger said. “He comes alive in those photos.”

Horton said he got connected to the industry through his teacher, who was a model, and his mother saw some online courses, but one woman really helped his career take off.

“I got to meet a wonderful lady named Soli and just clicked with her instantly and thought that her agency would be the right thing for me,” Horton said.

Solitha Shortte is the founder and CEO of Soli Productions Management. She acts as an agent to her clients. Horton said everything took off after signing with Soli productions.

Blair Bartlett is a photographer who’s been working with Horton. He said the young model has a look that the industry covets.

“He has that classic look that, you know, anywhere from Gap, Hollister, Ralph Lauren would be looking for,” Bartlett said.

Horton said some of his acquaintances tease him about his success, but his close friends know he’s taking it seriously and think it’s “really cool.”

“I just get to express myself in a way that I haven’t been able to,” Horton said.

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