“Inside and out, there are no limits.”
With this phrase, Puerto Rican model Sofia Jirau describes the new achievement of her career: she became the first woman with Down syndrome to participate in a campaign for the renowned brand Victoria’s Secret.
Along with 17 other women, she starred in the launch of a collection called Cloud Love Collection, revealed by the company on February 14.
His participation comes as Victoria’s Secret carries out a makeover, after facing criticism in the past for its parades and lingerie ads described as “patriarchal and sexist”.
Sofia, who is 24, has taken advantage of the worldwide attention generated by the launch of the campaign to promote a message of inclusion. In recent days, she has been interviewed by dozens of media around the world.
SOFIA JIRAU
“Let the whole world see me! And let the Down syndrome community know that, like me, they can achieve their dreams,” he said in an interview with BBC Mundo.
Other models such as Hailey Bieber and Valentina Sampaio also participated in the campaign.
On the experience of sharing the campaign with other women, she said she felt “happy, proud, cheerful.”
Achieve your goals
Sofia since she was a child wanted to be a model and entrepreneur. The Puerto Rican has achieved both goals.
In 2019 she launched her own line of clothing and accessories products known as “Alavett”. The name comes from his way of pronouncing “I Love it”.
“Alavett is my cry of joy to the world,” Sofia says on her brand’s website.
SOFIA JIRAU
All of these results, he says, show that “I’m strong.”
“Alavett” gave way to Sofia standing out on the catwalks of her native Puerto Rico. Later in 2020, she made her debut at New York Fashion Week.
In the Big Apple she modeled for the designer Marisa Santiago.
Meanwhile, on the island he has been a spokesman for campaigns in favor of the community with Down syndrome.
In the future, he added, he wants to show his talent at fashion shows in Europe.
“My next dream is to go dancing on stage and go modeling in France and Italy,” she said.
“A brand revolution”
Victoria’s Secret said in a statement that the new collection was inspired by “the needs of our customers.” The advertising effort, according to the company’s creative director, Raul Martinez, also follows this purpose.
“It’s an important moment in the evolution of the brand,” he said.
In recent years, the company has tried to rebuild its image.
The emergence of the #MeToo movement by which thousands of women denounced situations of sexual harassment and abuse around the world and the changes in the perception of the female body made the lingerie giant stagger.
SOFIA JURAU
The parades of thin models and their hypersexualized ads have been losing followers and gaining detractors.
In the face of criticism, the fall in audience and a decrease in revenue, in 2019 the company canceled its famous parade “the angels of Victoria’s Secret”.
In 2020, in addition, The New York Times published research in which he described “the culture of misogyny” at the company.
The collection unveiled this February, according to Martinez, is Victoria’s Secret’s “new standard.”
