Valentina Sampaio joined Victoria’s Secret’s PINK division in 2019.
Sampaio announced her Victoria’s Secret appointment in August 2019, when she was identified as the company’s first openly transgender model. She joined PINK, the brand’s younger-oriented sub-brand, rather than debuting in the main runway show.
The appointment attracted international attention because it represented a visible change in the company’s approach to model representation. Sampaio’s work with the brand followed earlier modeling achievements in Brazil and abroad.
The date is sometimes confused with 2020, when Sampaio made another major fashion-media milestone by appearing in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. That later achievement did not mark her Victoria’s Secret appointment, which occurred in 2019.