Puerto Rican Sofía Jirau Makes History as First Victoria’s Secret Model with Down Syndrome
Puerto Rican model Sofía Jirau made headlines when she became one of the few models with Down Syndrome to be a part of New York Fashion Week
Photo: Instagram/@SofíaJirau
Puerto Rican model Sofía Jirau made headlines when she became one of the few models with Down Syndrome to be a part of New York Fashion Week. Now she’s making history again becoming the first Victoria’s Secret model with Down Syndrome. She made the announcement on Instagram sharing her joy at seeing a dream come true for herself.The 24-year-old model launched apparel and accessories Alavett – a play on “I love it” — proving she’s driven to be a multi-hyphenate talent. Now she can add being a model for a global brand through their latest inclusive campaign.
“One day I dreamed of it, I worked on it and today it is a dream come true. Can I finally tell you my big secret? I am the first Victoria’s Secret model with Down syndrome!” she captioned her post. “Thanks to all of you for always supporting me in my projects. Thanks to @victoriassecret for seeing me as a #NoLimits model and making me part of the Love Cloud Collection inclusion campaign. This is just the beginning, now it has been formed! Inside and out there are no limits, Alavett!”
She’s a part of the “Love Cloud Collection” alongside Nez Perce Tribe-Wildland firefighter Celilo Miles, Cuban Miami-native Devyn Garcia, and Black multiracial model Paloma Elsesser. The comfort collection launches this week and is meant to be size inclusive and comfortable enough for daily wear.
“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”, Raúl Martinez, Head Creative Director of Victoria’s Secret, said in a press release.
Jirau later posted that her secret to achieving her dreams is loving herself and she shared the hashtag #medoylike with a video of herself liking her own posts. She is living proof of her motto “inside and out there are no limits” and says her inspiration is a fellow history-making Boricua. “I want to meet Jennifer Lopez. I like how she dresses and how she is. I love all of her clothes,” she told PEOPLE. “I love her songs, her CDs, her photos. Everything.”
In addition to model and entrepreneur, she’s also an advocate for the Down Syndrome community and this past October she launched the Limitless campaign. On the site she shares a statistics that approximately 14 of every 10,000 live births in the United States are born with Down syndrome; in Puerto Rico it is approximately 13 of every 10,000 live births, according to the Institute of Puerto Rico. The website debunks myths about the community including the belief that they can’t be employed. Like she said in the post, her driving force is loving herself and she’s inspiring the world to do the same.
