Transgender Model Lea T Makes Catwalk Debut at Brazil Fashion Week

With the advent of the “femiman” current in fashion, designers turn their attention to models who represent an ideal of beauty outside the classic definition of gender. Lea T, the Givenchy pre-op transgender model, has just made her catwalk debut.

Lea T was born Leo and, for a while, worked as a male model. By the time Lea began receiving more offers for female modeling, she was already working with designer Riccardo Tisci, as an assistant.

Tisci insisted that Lea give modeling as a woman a serious try and he included her in the Givenchy campaign, to great success.

During the Brazil Fashion Week, Lea made her catwalk debut, the Daily Mail informs, thus taking her career as a model one step further.

“[Lea] walked for designer Alexandre Herchcovitch in Sao Paulo on Saturday and despite the celebrity-packed crowd, all eyes were on the industry’s new rising star,” the Mail notes.

“Dressed in a long black dress with neon green lace sleeves, Lea T’s androgynous looks have caught the attention of the fashion world after Riccardo Tisci spotted potential in his young assistant,” says the British publication.

“Givenchy’s muse, from Belo Horizonte, the country’s third largest city, will also reportedly walk for Herchcovitch’s New York show,” the tab further notes.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if she did, voices in the fashion industry are saying, given that, just recently, Jean Paul Gaultier included male model Andrej Pejic as his bride in his show at the Paris Fashion Week.

As noted above, Lea T has not yet had gender reassignment surgery but, even when she does, she will not consider herself a woman.

“Even with surgery, I’ll never be a woman. And I will not be man. I’ll always be the middle...” Lea said in a recent interview cited by Racked.

“My father said I’ll always be his little black boy. That he’ll love me if I am man, woman or dog. My mother is very religious. She refuses, but says she will not leave me,” Lea added in the same interview.

Lea says she never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend. She’s also been booked for an appearance on Oprah – so keep an eye on this space for more details on the model of the hour.