American Apparel is being heralded for its support of LGBT rights after issuing an open call for “transexy” models.
The fashion brand famous for its provocative advertising posted an ad Saturday on Instagram, asking transgender and transsexual models to visit its Chelsea store.
“This is seriously cool,” one fashion fan wrote, echoing others who gave props to the Los Angeles-based brand for recognizing that models come in all shapes, sizes and sexualities.
According to the ad, models need no previous experience, just to be over age 16 and wear “simple, fitted clothing.”
American Apparel, which has used transgender models in ads before, is famous for its strong stance on gay rights, carrying gay culture magazines in its stores and piloting the “Legalize Gay” movement in support of same-sex marriage in California.
The brand also launched “Legalize LA” in 2008, an ad campaign to promote amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
But headlines about American Apparel haven’t all been good — the brand often faces criticism for overly sexual ads, and CEO Dov Charney has been the subject of several sexual harassment lawsuits.
