Sofía Jirau has made history in the fashion business once more. At only 24 years old, the model from Puerto Rico has earned the honor of being the first person with Down syndrome to appear in a Victoria’s Secret campaign. She shared the news on her Instagram page, and it quickly went viral, being picked up by media outlets around the world.
A Model From the Start
Sofía Jirau was born in Puerto Rico on March 26, 1997. Modeling was never simply a hobby for the young woman; she had had it in mind since she was little. Her first modeling opportunity came at age 16, when she participated in a show for designer Wanda Beauchamp, representing Puerto Rico.
Other designers took notice of the young model, and although it took a few more years, the fashion world welcomed Jirau with open arms.
In 2018, Jirau began working as an “Experience Ambassador” for INprende, a Puerto Rican company that provides business and professional development, education, and training to organizations, governments, and individuals of all abilities. She has continued in that role ever since.
March 26, 2019, was a day of firsts for the Puerto Rican model. That year, on the 22nd anniversary of her birth, she officially began her professional modeling career.
That same year, she launched her clothing brand, Alavett, a website where customers can find unique designs such as t-shirts, wallets, mugs, and cell phone cases, among other things. The name comes from her favorite expression, “I love it,” which is also represented by the heart graphic featured on every item.
Alavett, however, is not the only success in Jirau’s life. On the website that promotes her clothing line, she introduces herself as a model, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Her work in philanthropy has taken up much of her time since she began appearing in the press.
Landing on the Runway
in New York After her successful work in Puerto Rico, Jirau decided to take further steps toward her dream of becoming a model. In February 2020, she traveled to New York City to participate in New York Fashion Week.
Jirau was selected to be part of designer Marisa Santiago’s show, becoming one of the few models with Down syndrome to walk that runway. According to her own words on her official website, she is “proud as one of the few models with Down syndrome who has managed to participate in” the event.
The young model gained national and international recognition through the press after her New York runway appearance. Coverage of her debut appeared in outlets such as Vogue Mexico, People, Hola!, and Univision, among others, all emphasizing the significance of what Jirau had achieved on her path to becoming a model.
She also took the opportunity to address her social media followers directly, saying that she had dreamed of being a model since she was little, that New York was only the beginning of great things for her in the modeling world, and that she also planned to work abroad.
The Call From Victoria’s Secret In February 2022, two years after her New York appearance, Victoria’s Secret invited Jirau to participate in its Love Cloud Collection, a new apparel and garments collection built around a cast of models from diverse backgrounds.
On February 14, the model shared an official campaign image for the line, writing on Instagram (translated from Spanish), “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 was not, however, the only one. Seventeen other women also participated in the campaign, and the brand’s head creative director, Raúl Martinez, commented on the importance of the collection, calling it “a major moment in the brand’s evolution.”
The young model was also recognized as the second Puerto Rican model to be featured in a Victoria’s Secret campaign, following supermodel Joan Smalls.
A Campaign Built on Difference
It is worth noting that the rest of the campaign’s participants also reflected a diverse group of women. Alongside Hailey Bieber and the models Adut Akech and Paloma Elsesser, Valentina Sampaio was also part of the cast; she had become the first openly transgender model to sign with Victoria’s Secret in 2019.
Other notable participants included Celilo Miles, a wildland firefighter from the Nez Perce Tribe, and Sylvia Buckler, an accessories designer who appeared pregnant during the shoot.
This collection built on several initiatives Victoria’s Secret had undertaken the previous year, when the company announced the end of its “Angel” brand and the creation of the VS Collective, a group of brand ambassadors promoting diversity across the company.
It’s also worth noting that several of the brand’s VS Collective ambassadors, including soccer player Megan Rapinoe and actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, had been vocal supporters of women’s empowerment since joining the collective the previous year and were key figures in shaping its values ahead of the Love Cloud launch.
The new collection released in stores and online that week, and was among the campaigns overseen by Martinez, who had joined Victoria’s Secret as head creative director in January 2021. Sofía Jirau made clear that the message behind this campaign went far beyond fashion.
Speaking to NBC News, she said people with Down syndrome, “like me, are capable of getting a job, creating their own business, and working hard.” People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21. It affects an estimated 200,000 or more people living in the United States, according to the CDC.
In the mid-20th century, life expectancy for people with Down syndrome was under 10 years, largely due to routine institutionalization and limited access to medical treatment, including specialized pediatric and cardiovascular care.
Beginning in the 1980s, a shift away from institutionalization combined with improved medical care dramatically extended life expectancy, which today averages around 60 years — meaning, as in Jirau’s case, that people with Down syndrome now often live long, full lives.
What Comes Next
Jirau’s success has not slowed her down in the least. Just weeks after her Victoria’s Secret debut, she traveled to Europe, both to continue her professional development and to celebrate her 25th birthday.
Speaking with Hola! about her travel plans, Jirau said, “I am going to Paris and Italy.” Jirau has continued to grow both as a model and as an entrepreneur.
She has since launched her own podcast, Sofía Jirau, The Podcast, which she describes as a way to communicate with her audience with no restrictions or limitations — speaking directly about her professional and personal life without going through a third party such as a designer or modeling agency.
The young model continues to promote her brand, Alavett, while maintaining her position as an “Experience Ambassador” at INprende. As an entrepreneur, she has managed to balance both sides of her career and has shown that there is room for people with Down syndrome in the world of high fashion as well as in the corporate world.