A Puerto Rican woman has opened up on becoming Victoria's Secret's first model with Down's Syndrome.
Sofía Jirau, 24, made history this week after joining 17 other women for the Love Cloud Collection on Valentine's Day, the company's newest line of underwear.
'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's syndrome!' she wrote on Instagram.
Jirau made her modelling debut back in March 2019 — as well as launching her own website, Alavett, with phone cases, mugs, shirts and other products — before modelling at New York Fashion Week nearly a year later, earlier writing that she was 'proud as one of the few models with Down's syndrome who has managed to participate in the important fashion event'.
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In an earlier interview with People, she described Fashion Week as 'living her dream', but it was far from the end of her ambitions. 'When I was little, I looked myself in the mirror and said, ‘I’m going to be a model and a businesswoman'. Inside and out, there are no limits. There aren’t. Everyone can accomplish their dreams,' she said.
Fast-forward to now, and she's been speaking to NBC News about her historic gig with Victoria's Secret. 'I want to tell the whole world that people with my condition, Down's syndrome, inside and out, we have no limits,' she reiterated.
'People who have Down's syndrome like me are capable of getting a job, creating their own business, and working hard like me.'
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For Jirau, it's the next step in using her platform to inform and inspire. 'I’ll tell everyone to just dream. To dream, because every dream can come true... you have to work hard, you have to work very hard, and more. My next dream is modelling in Europe, Paris and Italy,' she said.
Jirau has also launched a campaign called 'No Limits', hoped to further educate people about Down's syndrome and show how they can still achieve their dreams.
The Love Cloud Collection is aimed to appeal to all women, with head creative director Raul Martinez describing it as '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'.
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Topics: Fashion