Theodora "Teddy" Quinlivan was the first openly transgender person to work for Chanel Beauty in 2019 when she landed an ad campaign. But she was actually discovered by Louis Vuitton's Nicolas Ghesquière in 2015 and has since worked with many other luxury fashion houses including Saint Laurent, Dior, and Carolina Herrera. She has also appeared on the catwalks of Fendi, Chloe, and Marc Jacobs. She transitioned when she was 16 and came out in September 2017, two years after making a name for herself with Louis Vuitton.
In an interview with Elle in 2018, she said: "I think fashion, in terms of social power, is the most important industry. Advertising has tremendous impact in terms of who and what we find attractive. It's a hard sphere to penetrate. But I have. So I can't stay silent while a reality TV president actively fights to prevent people like me from living a normal life . . . Why can't a transgender person walk in a Versace show or run for office? She already has—and maybe, one day, I will."
