Givenchy's transgender model

Transgender model Lea T has been signed up by Givenchy's creative director Riccardo Tisci to be one of the new faces of the French fashion house.

Transgender model Lea T is one of the new faces of Givenchy.

The French fashion house's creative director Riccardo Tisci signed up the 28-year-old Brazilian - who was born Leandro Cerezo - to appear in a new campaign alongside Mariacarla Boscono, Malgosia Bela and Joan Smalls.

Riccardo - who had originally hired Lea as his assistant using her as his behind-the-scenes fit model - said: "She's a true goddess. She's always been very feminine - super-fragile, very aristocratic.

"She's part of the family."

Lea is currently undergoing hormone replacement therapy before she has a full sex change and says Riccardo used to encourage her to wear men's clothes.

She said: "One night he encouraged me to wear pumps to a party. We went shopping for 'drag queen' shoes and we bleached my eyebrows. It was a revelation."

However, the stunning brunette says her lifestyle choice has caused a rift in her family, especially with her father - former Brazil international soccer player Toninho Cerezo.

She has said: "My father doesn't even like to touch on this matter.

"But the choice is between being unhappy forever or trying to be happy."