H&M-Owned Brand Rolls Out Campaign Created by and Starring Transgender Individuals

One of H&M's sub-brands releases socially progressive campaign.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Many fashion brands and publications have begun to work with transgender models. However, one of H&M's sub-brands, & Other Stories, has taken it one step further by releasing a campaign starring transgender models Hari Nef and Valentijn De Hingh that was also creative-directed by a team of transgender professionals, WWD reports.

The campaign announces the launch of an athletic capsule collection hitting stores soon. The real story, though, is the work done by the transgender models and artists—they will be the subject of a short film that documents this shoot titled The Gaze & Other Stories. "There’s a lot of talk about transgender today, but for us, it was a lateral step to do [the campaign],” & Other Stories creative director Sara Hildén Bengtsson told WWD. Bengtsson points out that while the campaign was produced by a team transgender individuals, the result is similar to other fashion campaigns we see. 

Dutch model De Hingh believes that the uptick in the use of transgender models is beneficial, but hopes that it will become commonplace. "Sometimes to get a political message across, having a commercial brand support an issue can actually help," De Hingh told WWD. "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."

Others who worked on the campaign include photographer Amos Mac, stylist Love Bailey, and makeup artist Nina Poon.

See more images from the campaign below and shop the collection when it drops at & Other Stories on Aug. 20. 

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