Fashions Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio made historical past Tuesday night time as the primary overtly transgender ladies to strut down the runway throughout one among Victoria’s Secret’s iconic trend reveals.
The duo donned their wings as they joined the likes of VS favorites Tyra Banks, Gigi and Bella Hadid, and Adriana Lima on the present in New York Metropolis.
Cosani, who’s repped by IMG Fashions, has change into one of the sought-after faces within the trend scene in latest seasons. She gushed about her expertise in an Instagram put up Wednesday morning.
TheStewartofNY through Getty Photographs
Paired with pictures of her glowing powder blue lingerie, the fashionista wrote: “VICTORIA SECRET ILYYY.”
“Little me is screaming,” Cosani added. “I can’t even say anything other than thank you
Sampaio commended Victoria’s Secret for its inclusivity ahead of her time in the spotlight, telling People: “This moment is one I will cherish for a lifetime.”
“Today, the Victoria’s Secret family has shown the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway,” the Brazilian mannequin instructed Folks.
Tuesday’s trend present served as a rebirth for the once-annual underwear extravaganza, which final came about in 2018.
The model was on the heart of a number of controversies within the late 2010s, on the similar time its dominance within the lingerie business was waning.
Dimitrios Kambouris through Getty Photographs
In 2018, the style present’s govt producer, Ed Razek, used offensive and outdated language when Vogue requested if Victoria’s Secret had thought-about that includes trans fashions on the catwalk.
Razek didn’t suppose trans fashions ought to be featured as a result of “the show is a fantasy,” he instructed the journal. “It’s a 42-minute entertainment special.” (He later apologized, saying: “To be clear, we would absolutely cast a transgender model for the show.”)
Two years later, VS’s former mother or father firm, L Manufacturers, was the topic of an exposé by The New York Occasions, which detailed a “culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment” all through the enterprise.
On the similar time, Victoria’s Secret’s standing as a lingerie juggernaut was challenged by rising intimate attire manufacturers like Rihanna’s Fenty x Savage and Kim Kardashian’s Skims.
Going through a wilting market share and poor TV scores for the runway particular, the corporate opened itself as much as extra various illustration after splitting from L Manufacturers in 2021.
Sampaio started modeling for VS’s sister model, Pink, in 2019, whereas Cosani was featured within the firm’s Amazon Prime Video trend present documentary “The Tour ’23.”
Razek resigned from Victoria’s Secret in 2019, days after Sampaio was employed.
