Since joining Givenchy as the creative director in 2005, Riccardo Tisci has repeatedly pushed boundaries with his clothes and catwalk shows.

Now the designer has caused controversy once more by casting transsexual Lea T in his advertising campaign for autumn/winter, WWD reports.

Lea T., formerly known as Leo, is also Tisci’s longtime personal assistant and former fit model.

Tisci had nothing but good things to say about Ms. T. “She’s always been very feminine: superfragile, very aristocratic. She’s part of the family.”

The family, in the context of the ad, is also a racially diverse group which includes Mariacarla Boscono, Malgosia Bela and up and comer Joan Smalls.

Though some may wonder if the designer’s casting of T. is a marketing gimmick, Tisci argues that including her “exemplifies the masculine-feminine dichotomy that has become one of his design signatures.”

The Givenchy ad campaign is expected to debut in the July issue of L’Uomo Vogue.