Sofía Jirau made history as Victoria’s Secret’s first model with Down syndrome. The Puerto Rican model, 24, is one of the faces of the brand’s Love Cloud Collection, their latest line of comfortable bras and underwear.
Jirau took to Instagram to express her gratitude to the lingerie company. She shared a black and white photo and wrote in Spanish, “One day I dreamed of it, I worked for it and today it’s a dream come true. I can finally tell you my big secret. I am Victoria’s Secret’s first model with Down syndrome!”
The model’s followers immediately flooded the comments section with congratulations. The company’s official account wrote, “Thank you for being a part of our #VSFamily.”
Aside from Jirau, there were 17 other women of different ages, backgrounds, and body types who were featured in the campaign ads including Hailey Bieber, Valentina Sampaio, Taylor Hill, and more.
A press release shared by the company’s head creative director, Raúl Martinez, on Us Weekly stated, “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.”
The news came after Victoria’s Secret announced last year that VS Collective, “an ever-growing group of accomplished women who share a common passion to drive positive change” will replace their “Angel” title.
The initial group consisted of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and athlete Megan Rapinoe among others and later expanded to include supermodel Bella Hadid, Baldwin, and Naomi Osaka. Aside from changing the faces of the brand, Victoria’s Secret also launched The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers which aims to “fund innovative research projects aimed at progressing treatments and cures for women’s cancers.”
These changes didn’t go unnoticed at all. One of Victoria’s Secret’s “Angel”, Heidi Klum, shared with The Sunday Project regarding the rebranding in Jul last year, “About time, is all I can say. About time. As a model, you go there, you are happy to have a job. When you are not the company, you do what you are told. But finally, looking at this now, I’m like, about time.”
