By: Olga Amraie, Producer, The LA Fashion Show
An exclusive interview with the winner of the Best Kids Fashion Award at the Los Angeles Fashion Show.
When the name Katherine Thompson was called at the Fashion Show Awards ceremony, the room understood immediately. This was not simply a sweet moment in children’s fashion. It was the recognition of a child who, at just six years old, has already built a real track record on the runway, in front of the camera, and on the stage.
Katherine received the Best Kids Fashion Award for her confidence, individual presence, and natural connection with an audience, qualities that are rare even in adult professionals. I had the privilege of speaking with Katherine’s mother to learn the story behind the win. And along the way, Katherine herself answered one very important question.
Interview With Katherine’s Mother
Q. Olga Amraie: Katherine has been on the runway since May 2025, just over a year ago. Where did it all begin?
Katherine’s mother: We noticed very early that Katherine was drawn to beautiful clothes, posing, and movement. She was never shy in front of the camera, quite the opposite. Near a camera, she became even more self-assured. What makes her special is that she doesn’t just pose. She feels the mood. She understands when to be elegant, playful, serious, or joyful. At such a young age, she already has a natural ability to connect with the lens and with the people watching her.
Q. Olga Amraie: She has been working with a number of LA-based designers. Tell me about that journey.
Katherine’s mother: Each project has been its own school. Katherine has walked for Tatiana Nikitina, Charlie Gram, Kiki Wang, Felicia Dillon, Mechelle Hooper, Tiara Donyale, Parvesh Jai, and Sonia Smith-Kang, among others. She has appeared at LAFW, Lumiere in Culver City, TFL: The Fashion Life Tour, Bridal Fashion Week Los Angeles, the Lady Like Foundation Fashion Show, BET Weekend Swim, and Kiki Wang’s Lunar New Year Runway Show. The most memorable was Lumiere, a stunning location, exceptionally professional in every detail. She still talks about it.
Q. Olga Amraie: Fashion is only one part of Katherine’s world. What else does she do?
Katherine’s mother: She trains every single day. Rhythmic gymnastics, ballet, ballroom and Latin dance, hip-hop, taekwondo, tennis, football, vocal, drawing, French language, and both theater and modeling school. Gymnastics takes the most time, with competitions in addition to regular training. But across everything, the goal is the same: discipline, confidence, coordination, and joy. We never want her to feel pressure. We want her to feel inspired.
Q. Olga Amraie: Katherine is also represented by Paloma Model and Talent Agency and has experience in film and television. How does she handle the difference between the runway and the camera?
Katherine’s mother: The runway is fast: walk, look, pose, exit. A film set requires patience, concentration, and the ability to repeat a scene many times. She has worked in advertising for children’s clothing, bicycles, and toys; in a feature film; in vertical projects; in television series; in theatrical productions; and in a musical. Each format teaches something different. Fashion gives her elegance and confidence. Film gives her imagination and emotion. We believe both make her a more complete young artist.
Q. Olga Amraie: What gave Katherine the win for Best Kids Fashion Award?
Katherine’s mother: I believe she won because she carries a particular light onto the stage. She is very young, but she already has confidence, elegance, and individuality. She doesn’t just wear a look, she brings it to life. In children’s fashion, the audience always senses when a child is genuinely happy and secure. Katherine has that authentic energy. She smiles with her eyes, she listens, she learns, and she always gives her best. I also believe the jury saw her potential. This award recognizes not only what she has already done, but who she is becoming.
Katherine Speaks
I asked Katherine one question directly, and her answer was perfectly her own.
Olga Amraie: Katherine, what would you say to a girl your age who wants to try modeling or acting but is scared?
Katherine: Don’t be scared. Just try. And smile, because smiling makes everything easier.
Six words. No hesitation. That is who Katherine Thompson is.
A Star in Progress
Katherine’s fashion icon is Cindy Crawford. Her dream is to play the lead role in a feature film, to show, as she puts it, everything she can do. She prepares for each runway appearance with a deep breath in and a slow breath out. What keeps her calm before the cameras and the crowds? Her own words: belief in herself, and the desire to make the audience happy.
At six years old, Katherine Thompson has already walked for nine designers, appeared at more than a dozen major fashion events, worked across film, television, theater, and commercial production, trained daily across eleven disciplines, and won the Best Kids Fashion Award at the Los Angeles Fashion Show. She is represented by Paloma Model and Talent Agency and is, by every measure, already a professional.
The Fashion Show Awards recognized something real. The only question now is how far she will go, and if May 2025 is any indication, the answer is clear: very far indeed.
