Sofía Jirau is Victoria Secret's first model with Down syndrome

Puerto Rican model Sofía Jirau is making history as the first Victoria’s Secret model with Down syndrome to be featured in a major campaign. VS has announced the “Love Cloud Collection” campaign by featuring Jirau alongside 17 other models where the focus is on comfortable and stylish bras and undies. Jirau is in good company, as the campaign also includes none other than Justin Bieber’s better half, Hailey Baldwin. Supermodels Taylor Hill and Adut Akech also feature in the campaign.

The 24-year-old marked the historic occasion with a celebratory post on Instagram, calling it a “dream come true.” “One day I dreamed of it, I worked for it and today it’s a dream come true,” she wrote in Spanish, alongside a black and white photo of her wearing a VS bra. “I can finally tell you my big secret. I am Victoria’s Secret’s first model with Down syndrome!” Hailing the brand for its inclusion, she ended off by saying, “this is just the beginning.”

The campaign also includes other trailblazers, like transgender model Valentina Sampaio, and British plus-size model and activist Paloma Elsesser. There are also non-models featured in the campaign, like Sylvia Buckler, an accessory designer, who proudly cradles her baby bump in her black and white portrait.

The campaign proudly features women of different ages and body types, something that the company says was specifically the point. In their press statement, they said this campaign is about “reinforcing Victoria's Secret's commitment to welcoming and celebrating all women.”

The press statement also quotes head creative director Raúl Martinez, who affirmed, “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.” 

This marks the next step in VS’s evolution after we reported last year that the brand had dropped its “angel wings,” now focussing on promoting and featuring women of diverse talents. Their rebrand has featured women like Priyanka Chopra Jonas and soccer star Megan Rapinoe. 

As for Jirau, this is the natural evolution of her modeling career, which began in 2019. In 2020 she made her big catwalk debut at New York Fashion Week, and has launched her own line Alavett, which is the phonetic pronunciation of “I Love It.”

"I always say 'Inside and out there are no limits' to motivate people to break through their self-imposed limitations," she writes on several of her Instagram posts.

VS’s rebrand has come as a welcome change to many of the models who formerly participated in the “angel wings” lingerie catwalk shows and campaigns. Last year, supermodel Heidi Klum said, “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.”