Julian Assange is about to get a chance most contestants on America’s Next Top Model never had. The WikiLeaks founder, who is currently hiding out in the Ecuadorean Embassy avoiding extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault charges, will walk during Fashion Week in September for Ben Westwood‘s show.
Of course, Assange isn’t about to hop on a plane and fly to Europe in the name of fashion. Westwood will instead bring the catwalk to Ecuador. The show will be staged at the embassy, where Assange will model looks alongside six other models for Westwood’s a Clint Eastwood-inspired collection.
Both Ben Westwood and his mother, Dame Vivienne Westwood, have been supportive of Assange in the past–Vivienne created a T-shirt in 2012 with her likeness and the words “I am Julian Assange” to show her solidarity. “What happened to him is totally unfair. I’ve designed something for him along those lines and will be getting him to wear it… I’ve got another garment with a Julian Assange print,” Ben Westwood told the Daily Mail. “Julian’s been in the embassy for two years and it’s important that he doesn’t slip into obscurity.”
A fashion show casting is a good way to help keep that from happening. Although I’m pretty sure these images of Julian Assange primping to Jill Souble‘s “Supermodel” (à la Cher Horowitz in Clueless) are probably not what Westwood wants in my head as he makes this grand political statement.
