Trans fashion
The front cover of the French Vogue gives prominence to transgender styles, featuring the like of Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio
Just when the local media is filled with transphobic messages and gender dysphobia, Valentina Sampaio featured on the March cover of the French Vogue magazine. The 22-year old Brazilian model has become a symbol of the transgender cause. She has 40,000 followers on Instagram, is ambassador of an important cosmetic brand, she has been on catwalks of Sao Paulo, and aspires to become a Victoria's Secret angel. From the age of 10 she started calling herself Valentina: “At home they have always treated me as a girl,” this 1.77-metre tall, full-lipped beauty says, adding that she soon intends to undergo sex reassignment surgery (SRS).
It is the first time ever that a trans model has featured on the front cover of the iconic Vogue magazine, a global symbol of ultimate glamour. Vogue editor, Emmanuelle Alt, argues that this is a gesture aimed at giving visibility to the transgender collective and reducing prejudice, and that this battle will only be won when a cover like this does not need an editorial to explain it. The world of fashion, open-minded and a lover of all rara avis, has been clear about this for some time, and is working to update the face of fashion.
Brand campaigns
The designer Ricardo Tisci, for instance, provided support for Lea Cerezo, known as Lea T, in revealing herself as a transsexual and helping her to undergo a sex reassignment surgery in Thailand in 2012. The former creative head of Givenchy turned her into his muse, and she featured in brand campaigns, although, unlike Valentina Sampaio, she did not have the support of her father, a popular Brazilian footballer. Lea featured on a ground-reaking cover kissing Kate Moss, and she was also the first transgender model to sign a contract with Redken, an important hair products multinational, in 2014. Jean Paul Gaultier, who had the Eurovision bearded winner Conchita Wurst on his catwalk, was also one of the first to give a chance to Andreja Pejic in Paris fashion week, when she was still Andrea (she had SRS in 2014). The Bosnian model wore men's and women's clothes on catwalks, for big brands with a transgressive touch, such as Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood. She also modelled wedding collections for Rosa Clarà. In fact, she garnered so much attention that she was advised to forego surgery, so as not to lose her unique image. But Adrea chose her own path.
