Whether or not you’re into H&M, you gotta appreciate what their sister brand, & Other Stories, just did for transgender artists in the fashion industry.
In their latest campaign, & Other Stories features two transgender models, Valentijn De Hingh and Hari Nef. But wait, there’s more! They also chose to have a transgender photographer (Amos Mac), stylist (Love Bailey) and make-up artist (Nina Poon) work on the photo shoot for said campaign.
As brand creative director Sara Hildén Bengtson says in press release, the all-transgender campaign was purposeful, meant to highlight an underrepresented group in her line of work:
The fashion world is embracing transgender models and we think that’s great. We couldn’t help to ask ourselves how the traditional fashion gaze can change if we keep the same normative crew behind the camera. So we invited five amazing creatives, all transgender, to make our latest story.
Of course, there is the worry that, despite these comments trying to convince us of the contrary, & Other Stories is just bandwagon-jumping and trying the “transgender trend” on for size in a new, more expansive way. Even the models are a bit concerned about the real meaning behind the shoot, with De Hingh making the following comment to Women’s Wear Daily (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.
At this point, we can only hope that & Other Stories will continue to give trans artists work, but we can’t guarantee anything. That beings said, this is a brand that seems to be all about supporting new groups, having previously done a campaign with an elderly model. So perhaps they want to be and will be for making sure their work with the transgender fashion community is more than just a one-time thing.
For now, let’s take a look at these gorgeous images.
(via Hello Giggles, images via Racked via & Other Stories)
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