Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci has taken the whole idea of “coed fashion shoot” to another level. Tisci is using a transexual model among the cast for the house’s fall-winter 2010 ad campaign. This transexual model is someone Tisci knows well: it’s his longtime personal assistant and, former fit model for his own line. Lea T.

While some women might find the edgy ads a matter of taste, Tisci explained that including a transgender person exemplifies the masculine-feminine dichotomy that has become one of his design signatures and follows coed casting for his Paris runway last March. The campaign includes dedicated images for Givenchy eyewear and watches, and Tisci said media budgets would increase in certain growth markets for the brand.