Making History: Sofía Jirau is first Victoria’s Secret model with Down syndrome

Lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret showcasing new advertising campaign that features model with Down syndrome.

In what could be seen as a welcome move in the global fashion terrain, lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret & Co has ushered in change of the first order. Taking a deviation from its oft repeated casting choices, Victoria’s Secret has lined up a new advertising campaign that features a model with Down syndrome.

A campaign aimed at promoting the lingerie brand’s ‘Love Cloud’ intimates’ collection, the new line up has on the array as many as 18 women with diverse backgrounds and identities. It is as part of this campaign that Sofía Jirau, a Peurto Rican designer and first model with Down syndrome, would be at the forefront of the Victoria’s Secret latest outing.

Jirau, who took to Instagram to announce the new development scribbled: “One day I dreamed of it, I worked for it, and today is a dream come true.” Jirau is already a renowned personality for her designs for the line Alavett.

Women with diverse backgrounds in Victoria’s Secret campaign

Apart from Jirau, Victoria’s Secret has also roped in models such as Adut Akech, Hailey Bieber, Paloma Elsesser, and Imaan Hammam, as well as actor Miriam Blanco and Celilo Miles, a firefighter for the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho. Further, the line-up also has legacy supermodel Shalom Harlow, and Valentina Sampaio, who in 2019 became the first openly transgender model to work with the brand.

Victoria’s Secret’s Love Cloud collection has bras and panties available in six styles and several hues. The lingerie company sees the new collection as a major moment in the brand’s evolution.

Revamping its existing image

It also described the Love Cloud collection as a significant part of the new Victoria’s Secret standard being built. The lingerie brand looks at revamping its existing image, and inclusion of the non-Angels comes as part of it. Victoria’s Secret Angels are currently the defining aspect of the company’s existing image.

This isn’t the first time that a model with Down syndrome is being roped in by the fashion industry. In 2020, renowned brand Gucci had cast Ellie Goldstein, a model with Down syndrome, as a face of its beauty campaign.