Victoria’s Secret introduces first model with Down Syndrome in new campaign
Puerto Rican model Sofia Jirau made history as the brand’s first model with Down Syndrome for a campaign that bids to celebrate all women.
The 25-year-old model, entrepreneur and activist joins a line-up of 18 accomplished and inspiring women for the brand’s new line of underwear called the Love Cloud Collection.
The line-up includes first openly transgender model Valentina Sampaio, plus-size models Paloma Elesser and Jill Kortleve, Nez Perce Tribe-Wildland firefighter Celilo Miles, model Hailey Bieber and supermodel Imaan Hammam.
“One day I dream of it, I worked on it and today it is a dream come true. I can finally tell you my big secret,” Jirau wrote in Spanish in an Instagram post with her photo wearing a Victoria’s Secret bra. “I am the first Victoria’s Secret model with Down Syndrome!”
According to her website, Jirau debuted as a model in 2019 in Puerto Rico, the same year she launched her online store called “Alavett,” based on her favorite phrase “I love it.”
In 2020, she fulfilled her childhood dream of modeling in New York when she walked the runway at the New York Fashion Week for designer Marisa Santiago. She currently sets her eyes on conquering fashion runways in Europe.
Jirau is also an Experience Ambassador for a Puerto Rican company.
“For me, the most important thing about fulfilling my dreams is to show people around the world that there are no limits and to inspire them to pursue their own dreams. This is why I always say, ‘Inside and out there are no limits’ to motivate people to break through their self-imposed limitations,” she wrote on her website.
The campaign is Victoria’s Secret’s first full-scale collection under the tutelage of Raúl Martinez, who recently became the company’s head creative director.
“Love Cloud Collection is a major moment in the brand’s evolution. From the cast of incredible women that bring the collection to life, to the incredible inclusive spirit on set, this campaign is an important part of the new Victoria’s Secret standard we are creating,” Martinez said in a statement.
The company has been revamping the brand in an effort to appeal to all types of women.
In June 2021, Victoria’s Secret did away with its band of svelte-only models and ultra-exclusive “Angels” for women who are famous not for their body but for their achievements like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, freestyle skier Eileen Gu and journalist Amanda de Cadenet.
The company also introduced its “Destination Swim” campaign in February 2021 that puts the spotlight on models with different body types and backgrounds.
It was only in 2019 when Victoria’s Secret hired its first plus-size model, Ali Tate Cutler (for a collaboration with UK brand Bluebella), and first openly transgender model, Valentina Sampaio. This move came following the backlash the brand received after one of its then executives spewed trans- and fat-phobic comments in a Vogue interview in 2018.