Sofía Jirau becomes first Victoria’s Secret model with Down syndrome

Puerto Rican model Sofía Jirau has become the first Victoria’s Secret model with Down syndrome.

The 25-year-old beauty will be appearing on Victoria’s Secret campaign “Love Cloud” collection, which is set to be released on Valentine’s Day.

The model announced the exciting news on her Instagram page, “One day I dreamed of it, I worked on it and today it is a dream come true. I can finally tell you my big secret… I am the first Victoria's Secret model with Down syndrome!”

She also went on to thank her followers and the lingerie company, “Thank you all for always supporting me in my projects. Thanks to @victoriassecret for seeing me as a #SinLímites model and making me part of the Love Cloud Collection inclusion campaign. This is just the beginning, now it's formed!”

“Inside and out there are no limits, Alavett!” she said to her 270k Instagram followers.

Jirau began her career as a model in the year 2019. She launched her own online fashion store Alavett which went on to become a success. Her modeling career also reached a new height after she was featured at New York Fashion Week in February 2020.

To raise awareness about Down syndrome, Sofía Jirau also created a No Limits campaign. Her work as an activist, Instagram content, and gaining social media following caught the attention of Victoria’s Secret executives.

Fashion and lingerie brands such as Victoria’s Secret gave come under fire in recent years and have been seeking radical rebranding. They recently chose Raúl Martinez as its new creative director.

New Girl actress Jameela Jamil said the brand is a “transphobic, fat-phobic company . . . that sets out to exclude most women.” while soccer star Megan Rapinoe branded it as “patriarchal and sexist.”

In addition to Jirau, the brand has selected models of different backgrounds including a woman on crutches and a with gray hair.