H&M sister brand & Other Stories—beloved among the fashion crowd for its luxe minimalism at a doable price point—is the latest brand to feature transgender models in an advertising campaign (previous brands include Barneys and Make Up For Ever).
But beyond having models Valentijn De Hingh and Hari Nefstylist star in the images, the label took it one step further by recruiting a trans creative team behind the camera as well: Amos Mac shot the campaign, which was styled by Love Bailey and features makeup by Nina Poon. The behind-the-scenes process was all captured on film, entitled 'The Gaze & Other Stories'.
Sara Hilden, the brand's creative director, said that this 'gaze' was the concept that drove the campaign. 'There's a lot of talk about transgender today, but for us, it was a lateral step to do [the campaign],' she tells WWD. She elaborates that the images are seamless with any other fashion campaign that we might view this season—that two transgender models are starring in the photographs is for the viewer to extrapolate, hence the 'gaze'.
Model Valentijn de Hijn does concede that the focus on the transgender community is 'trending' at the moment, but hopes that with the awareness being driven as a result, the focus has staying power. 'I think that the way things are moving right now, it's looking like even when the fad is over there will still be awareness of our story and our issues,' she says.
We reached out to & Other Stories for additional comment.
From: Elle US
