Barney's New York Launches Spring 2014 Campaign BROTHERS, SISTERS, SONS, AND DAUGHTERS

Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, launched today the Spring 2014 campaign, Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters, shot by iconic photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber. The campaign features 17 transgender individuals with diverse experiences and unique personal stories, and will be showcased as a limited edition portfolio and through a series of short films by Weber.

"Barneys New York is proud that these beautifully captured images and stories will raise awareness and funds for the trans community," said Mark Lee, CEO of Barneys New York. "Supporting individual rights is deeply important to Barneys, and we have the utmost appreciation, respect and admiration for the participants - all of whom have been so generous in sharing their time, talent and personal narratives for this unique campaign."

From the first transgender student to graduate from her Oklahoma high school in 2012 to the aspiring fashion journalist who at the age of eight became the subject of a nine-year documentary chronicling her gender identity journey- these students, musicians, designers and professionals include: Arin Andrews, Edie Charles, Valentijn de Hingh, Ashley de la Cruz, Sawyer Devuyst, Peche Di, Dezjorn Gauthier, Trevon Haynes, Katie Hill, Eve Lindley, Niki M'nray, Ryley Pogensky, Ines Rau, Sebastian Simon, Ahya Taylor, Maxie Neu, and Gisele Xtravaganza. Also featured is Jack Doroshow, the unrelenting artist and activist who was arrested 77 times fighting for trans and gay rights throughout the 1950s and 60s.

"I hope that my photographs and films of these 17 new friends, who are transgender men and women, convey the respect I have for them and how I stand in awe of their courage to face the world," said Bruce Weber about the campaign.

Shot by Weber in New York City, many of the models were photographed and filmed surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones. By depicting these human connections, Weber was able to represent both the struggles and triumphs a trans person may face in relation to their gender identity.

Patricia Bosworth-a longtime contributing editor at Vanity Fair and author of acclaimed biographies on Diane Arbus, Jane Fonda, Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift-interviewed each model to uncover a small part of their unique and personal life story. The first-person interviews address a range of issues from bullying, discrimination and abandonment to empowerment, self-confidence and Unconditional love. The insightful profiles will be featured in both the print campaign and a series of films Weber captured during the week-long photo shoot.

Barneys New York partnered with two leading voices in the trans community, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and the LGBT Community Center (The Center) on the campaign. By bringing the personal stories of these 17 individuals to a national stage, Barneys New York hopes to help break stereotypes and build social acceptance of transgender people- long-standing goals of both The Center and NCTE.

"At The Center, we regularly partner with our trans brothers and sisters as they strive to lead the happy, healthy lives they deserve. We hope that Bruce Weber's poignant photography will allow a broad audience to better understand the struggles and the strength of trans people in today's society," said Glennda Testone, Executive Director of The Center. "There's always been a connection between the fashion industry and the LGBT community, and we're thrilled to see Barneys New York reinforcing that by bringing to light the beautiful and heartbreaking real-life experiences that transgender community members face."

To help further support The Center and NCTE, Barneys New York will donate 10% of all sales from its 11 flagship stores nationwide and Barneys.com on February 11th to be split between the two organizations. Barneys New York will also implement, with the help of The Center and NCTE, an educational program for its employees to help to ensure the issues facing the transgender community are understood and integrated into the company's existing zero tolerance discrimination policy.

"Barneys New York is bringing the wholeness and inherent beauty of transgender people to the public. Bruce Weber, Patti Bosworth and Barneys New York have made transgender lives real and have given these models the chance to tell their own touching and sometimes agonizing stories in their own voice," said Mara Keisling, the founding Executive Director of NCTE. "'Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters' is a powerful statement about how much closer transgender people are to full social acceptance and will push us that much closer."

As opposed to a traditional mailer, the campaign will be distributed as a limited edition portfolio of individual prints, which will feature the models and their personal interviews. The campaign, styled by Alex White, with hair by Orlando Pita and makeup by James Kaliardos, features spring collections by Azzedine Alaïa, Balenciaga, Céline, Chloé, Derek Lam, Dries Van Noten, Givenchy, Lanvin, Proenza Schouler, Saint Laurent, The Row, Zero + Maria Cornejo, and more.

"This campaign is all about telling the remarkable stories of these 17 transgender men and women. Our goal was to convey the strength, beauty and courage of these extraordinary individuals through the iconic photographs and films of Bruce Weber, as well as the insightful writing of Patricia Bosworth," said Dennis Freedman, Creative Director of Barneys New York. "Great progress has been made in regards to the lesbian, gay and bisexual community. Unfortunately, the struggle for transgender equality continues. In the end, it is our hope that that we can make a difference through this campaign."

There will be a Private event on February 10th celebrate the Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters project. On the following day, Barneys New York and Vanity Fair will hold a screening of the film followed by a discussion with Bruce Weber, Dennis Freedman, Mara Keiseling and several of the trans models from the campaign. Also on February 11th Bruce Weber's full film will be shown exclusively on the Barneys New York luxury content site, The Window and in the Madison Avenue windows through March 16th.

BARNEYS NEW YORK (Barneys) is a luxury specialty retailer renowned for having the most discerning edit from the world's top designers, including women's and men's ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and gifts for the home. Barneys' signature sense of wit and style is manifested in its creative advertising campaigns, original holiday themes, and celebrated window displays. Founded as a men's retailer in 1923 in downtown Manhattan, it became an international arbiter of high style for both women and men in the 1970s, renowned for discovering and developing new and innovative design talent. Today, Barneys New York operates flagship stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Scottsdale along with a preeminent luxury online store, Barneys.com, as well as 21 other stores and outlets across the United States. For more information about Barneys New York, please visit www.Barneys.com and explore its luxury content site, The Window, for an insider's look into the Barneys world: a behind-the-scenes visit with exciting designers, fashion, events, and the Barneys team.

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is the leading social justice organization dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people. For over a decade, NCTE has worked to end discrimination and violence against transgender people by advocating for non-discrimination and other policies at the national, state and local level. NCTE's ongoing priorities are to expand healthcare access, economic opportunity, and privacy for all transgender people while educating the public about who transgender people are. To learn more about our work, visit transequality.org.

Established in 1983, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center is at the heart of the LGBT community in New York City, providing quality health and wellness programs in a welcoming space that fosters connections and celebrates our cultural contributions. We strive to serve the LGBT community with a full-service, multi-faceted approach to programming, from hosting arts and entertainment events, advocacy groups and family gatherings to offering youth, recovery and overall wellness programs. Each year, The Center welcomes more than 300,000 visits to our building from people who engage in our life-changing and life-saving activities. We are proud to be your community Center. To learn more about our work, visit gaycenter.org.