Sofia Jirau from Puerto Rico made her first mark in the fashion industry in February 2020. The woman with Down's Syndrome made her catwalk debut on New York Fashion Week and rose to stardom in the modeling industry.
Recently, the 25-year-old shared that she's become part of Victoria's Secret new Love Cloud collection campaign. She's also found her own brand, Alavett,
Reception towards her catwalk debut was overwhelmingly positive, but when it comes to comfortable underwear, people admit to having "mixed feelings" about it.
Sofia, excited for the news, shared it with her followers on Instagram, "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."
"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's formed."
"Inside and out there are no limits, Alavett."
She is also part of her own No Limits campaign, dubbed "Sin Limites." Her aim is to raise awareness and dispel stigmas that surround Down's Syndrome patients.
Sofia is also part of the designer and creative team of her own brand!
Previously on her first catwalk debut in 2020, Sofia shared her feelings after the walk, "I am proud as one of the few models with Down's syndrome who have managed to participate in the important fashion event."
"Modelling in the United States was the beginning of conquering the dream I have had since an early age - to model on the most important runways in the world."
Sofia shares that she's a fan of J Lo and dreams to meet her one day. Another dream of hers was also to see other people with Down's Syndrome inspired to achieve their goals as she did.
With a recent overhaul on the brand image, Victoria's Secret has been working on becoming more inclusive to dispel the toxic body image messages people have been calling them out for. Alongside professional A-listers such as Hayley Bieber and Taylor Hill, Sofia Jirau, and a number of high-achieving women such as Celilo Miles the firefighter.
Celilo's comments reflect the previous message from the lingerie brand, "Everyone wanted to be in that club, but you knew you didn’t belong there."
"I used to watch the Victoria's Secret fashion show and wish that I could be up on that stage," she shared. The Nez Perce Tribe-Wildland firefighter shared that she used to try losing weight to fit in after she was influenced by what she saw and thought it was the right thing to do.
Sofia will also be modeling next to plus-sized models such as Paloma Elsesser and Devyn Garcia.
She's also modeling for her own lingerie brand in the Sin Limites campaign that is inclusive.
