What a beautiful day.
We’ve had September 6 marked on our calendars because this is the day Laverne Cox promised more details about her mystery collaboration with Beyonc├â┬⌐ — and we knew it was going to be nothing short of badass!
Related: Laverne Goes Off On Donald Trump!
And now we finally know the actress is one of the new faces of her Ivy Park collection!
Amazing!
On Wednesday, the new campaign was released, showcasing Laverne as well as models Souffrant Ralph and Grace Bol, and also dancer Karen McDonald.
Take a peek at the starlet’s ad (below):
“It’s about being free. Listening and moving without any judgement or limitation.” #IVYPARK @lavernecoxA post shared by IVY PARK (@weareivypark) on Sep 6, 2017 at 7:02am PDT
And in an interview with Glamour, the 45-year-old revealed how her collab with the Houston native came to be:
“The call came was from my publicist├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥it was one of those things where you [couldn’t] email; you have to call. I couldn’t believe it. There have been a lot of moments in my life that I just kind of can’t believe, like, ;Really? Really?!’ I remember being so excited. I was in New York, and they wanted to do the [Ivy Park] shoot in L.A. So I flew in, and I got a really good night’s sleep, and I woke up at like three or four in the morning. I stretched. I made sure I was warmed up, so I could really give everything I could give. You have to slay for Beyonc├â┬⌐! I hope she’s happy. It’s a dream come true. Obviously, everyone knows I’m a huge Beyonc├â┬⌐ fan.”
Laverne continued, adding the importance of being picked for the powerful campaign:
“It’s really humbling. I have to practice what I preach. It’s humbling because it’s a little bit of pressure to live up to it, and it’s such an honor to be chosen by Beyonc├â┬⌐├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥to be chosen by the queen is incredible. It’s indescribable, really. Beyonc├â┬⌐ means so much to me. Throughout my transition, Beyonc├â┬⌐ has been there as a style icon├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥an example of excellence, of beauty, of vulnerability. She’s shown us and given us so much over the years. She’s shared so much of herself, and it’s inspiring. It’s like, you can do that, and it’s okay├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥you can be political, you can be a feminist, you can speak out against police brutality and then be protested by police. That is strength beyond measure, when you have the courage of your convictions, and it’s not always popular with everyone, but you stand up and fight anyway. To be aligned with a brand like that feels very, very special. Certainly I’ve stood up in my life and spoken out, but it’s still scary and it’s still hard, especially in this political environment.”
The ads are more than just fashion, and while she won’t call herself a “role model,” she does believe the campaign will be inspiring:
“I hate the term ‘role model,’ but I like ‘possibility model.’ I love that anything is possible. I’m a black transgender woman from Mobile, Alabama, raised by a single mother from a working-class background, and I’m in a campaign with Beyonc├â┬⌐├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥anything is possible! When I got here, I got really lucky. I’m a lucky girl. But Oprah always reminds us that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Something that has prepared me for this moment has been connecting to something that’s bigger than me, connecting to a purpose that is bigger than me. Sometimes, it’s about a political message├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥but just me existing, as an openly black transgender woman from a working-class background, thriving, is a political act. My brother always reminds me├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥I think he’s stealing this from Cornel West├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥that if you are black in America and you’re alive, you deserve a round of applause. There are so many forces that don’t want us to be alive, and so just being openly who I am, and happy and thriving, is a political act.”
Beyoncé would be so proud!!
Take a peek at more of the starlet’s ads in the gallery (above) and let us know what U think!
[Image via FayesVision/WENN.]
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