FASHION Magazine

See the Barneys spring ads »

As calls for diversity increasingly infiltrate the fashion industry, it seems like major brands are finally starting to take note. So far, this season has seen a wheelchair-bound model front at Diesel and an increased racial mix at Prada.

The latest to break the mould for Spring 2014 is luxury retailer Barneys New York, whom debuted its “Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters” campaign today, which features 17 transgendered people from all walks of life. Shot by legendary boundary-pusher Bruce Weber in New York City, the subjects, often posing with their loved ones, are confident and stylish in the high-end likes of Ann Demeulemeester, Saint Laurent outfits and more.

In one of the first four photos released, we meet Arin Andrews and Katie Hill, transgendered friends and a former couple both raised in the conservative Bible Belt of America. In another, Ahya Taylor is pictured with fellow model Dezjorn Gauthier on a Central Park bench, both wearing Balenciaga.

Hot on the heels of one of the most moving viral videos from last year, Diesel has cast Jillian Mercado, the face behind the popular blog Manufactured 1987, in its Spring 2014 campaign. While tapping bloggers as style icons and models isn’t anything new (Tavi Gevinson for Rodarte for Target, Leandra Medine for Tibi, and many others come to mind), what’s different about Diesel’s campaign is that Mercado is bound to a wheelchair and suffers from muscular dystrophy.

Always known for pushing the envelope, Diesel has chosen to change the way fashion advertising portrays women, aptly put in the campaign’s slogan #DieselReboot. The campaign, the brainchild of Diesel’s artistic director Nicola Formichetti, is focused on shifting the branding of the company by inviting us regular folk to steer the creative direction through the hashtag #DieselReboot on various social media platforms. A simple photo upload to their site could land you a major campaign contract—just like it did for Mercado.

See the Alexander McQueen ads starring Kate Moss »

In just her latest chameleon turn, model superstar Kate Moss is a futuristic urban warrior for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2014 ad campaign images, which debuted online today. Part tribal goddess, part bondage queen, Moss looks totally fierce in a decidedly dystopian and unnatural setting shot on location in East London. Despite being a friend of the late designer, this is Moss’s first appearance in an Alexander McQueen ad, this time shot by long time McQueen collaborator Steven Klein.

In the ads, Moss’s Day-Glo cropped hair is gelled back for maximum impact, making her signature gaze all the more enchanting. Zipper-encrusted collars, pleated leather skirts and full feathered pieces show off the model’s svelte 40-year-old bod, while the gold arm cuffs highlight the vibrancy of her hair. Even the lookalike voodoo doll Moss shares the camera with is outfitted in replica miniature get ups.

See the Rihanna for Balmain images up close »

Queen Bey had her week, it’s Rihanna’s time to shine. So seems to say the Balmain Spring 2014 ad campaign released this morning starring none other than the icon herself. The ads feature the 25-year-old singer in two looks from the label’s latest collection: an off the shoulder gold embellished denim top and high-waisted jeans and a bubble gum pink kimono worn with the sure-to-be-sellouts gold tipped lace booties. Photographed by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by Mel Ottenberg, it’s just the latest in a long line of Rihanna iterations to be renewed the next moment she chooses to step out.

“When the woman that inspires you wears your creations, your vision feels complete,” Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing tells WWD. High praise, sure, but wouldn’t all of us agree? With her one album a year, ten outfits a day streak, RiRi is undoubtedly the girl of this generation’s dreams.

See the Versace ad campaigns » After months of Lady Gaga pulling from the Versace archives, the first ad starring the singer as the label’s face was released earlier this week causing Donatella double takes across the globe. Mother Monster’s transformative skills are in high gear for the photos, in which she dons the designer’s […]

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