A Puerto Rican mannequin has turn out to be the primary girl with Down syndrome to be featured in a Victoria’s Secret marketing campaign.
Sofía Jirau, 25, is considered one of 18 girls showing in commercials for the model’s new “Love Cloud” collection, launched on Valentine’s Day.
“In the future I dreamed of it, I labored on it and at this time it’s a dream come true. I can lastly let you know my huge secret . . . I’m the primary Victoria’s Secret mannequin with Down syndrome,” Jirau excitedly introduced in an Instagram post she shared along with her 204,000 followers on Monday.
Jirau kickstarted her modeling profession in Puerto Rico in 2019. The identical 12 months, she launched her personal profitable on-line trend retailer, Alavett. (Alavett, or “I adore it,” is Jirau’s favourite phrase, in line with the location.)
In February 2020 — only a month earlier than the COVID-19 outbreak shut down the world — Jirau made her debut at New York Vogue Week.
Her profession continued to thrive through the pandemic, as she gained a big social media following. She created her personal “No Limits” campaign in a bid to lift consciousness about Down syndrome, which finally caught the attention of Victoria’s Secret execs.
The lingerie model has come below hearth lately, going through accusations it’s “exclusionary.” Actress Jameela Jamil branded it as a “transphobic, fat-phobic company . . . that sets out to exclude most women.” Soccer star Megan Rapinoe stated the model as soon as had a message that was “patriarchal and sexist.”
The corporate is in search of a radical rebranding, and lately tapped Anna Wintour’s “right-hand man” Raúl Martinez as its new artistic director.
The “Love Cloud” marketing campaign — that includes Jirau — is Martinez’s first main undertaking for Victoria’s Secret.
In an announcement, Martinez hailed the “inclusive spirit” on the set of the marketing campaign.
Along with Jirau, the marketing campaign consists of fashions of various backgrounds and all completely different sizes and shapes. It additionally includes a girl with grey hair and a lady posing on crutches.
