Why You’ll Love This New Transgender Ad Campaign
This year has already been a huge one for the trans community. Caitlyn Jenner rocked Vanity Fair, Apple Model Management recently launched the first all-trans modeling agency in the world, Laverne Cox is on the cover of Nylon’s September issue and the #TransIsBeautiful hashtag is still going strong on Instagram. The latest step forward in the movement is the recent release of & Other Stories’ latest ad campaign featuring transgender models, Valentijn De Hingh and Hari Nef.
If you’re not yet familiar with & Other Stories, the H&M-owned retailer offers a trendy aesthetic that has an H&M kind of affordability with an Everlane sort of refined minimalism. Most of the pieces in the brand’s ready-to-wear selection offer an androgynous sort of vibe and so the new ad campaign only seems like a natural fit.
While the models and clothes are obviously both stunning, the real beauty of this campaign comes from the fact that the brand chose to use not only transgender models but also an entire transgender creative team. Amos Mac shot the campaign, Love Bailey styled it and Nina Poon did the women’s makeup.
A little bit about those stunning models… Hari Nef is an actress, writer and model and recent grad of Columbia University. She is only the second transgender model to sign with IMG. Nef’s fairhaired modeling partner is the Dutch model De Hingh, who was the subject of the powerful documentary, Valentijn, that followed her experiences as a transgender child from ages 8 to 17. De Hingh has also given a super inspiring TED talk discussing her transformation that is well worth a watch.
When asked about the recent increase in transgender presence in the fashion community, De Hingh told WWD, “Sometimes to get a political message across, having a commercial brand support an issue can actually help….The thing that you have to be worried about is that it’s not just a fad. It’s not a fashion trend to have transgender people in a youth campaign, then after two seasons not have them anymore.”
If you’re eyeing the athleisure-inspired pieces Hef and De Hingh are rocking, head on over to & Other Stories on August 20 to shop the collection.
Have you seen any other awesome transgender ad campaigns recently? Share with us in the comments below.
(Photos via & Other Stories)
