Julian Assange has been asked to be a guest model at London Fashion Week in September. The plan is to have the catwalk moved to the Ecuadorian embassy, where the wanted WikiLeaks founder is taking refuge.
The modeling offer comes from the son of renowned British fashion
designer Vivienne Westwood. Ben Westwood has invited Assange, 42,
to make a guest appearance at one of the world's top fashion
events.
"Julian is a popular hero," Westwood said in a statement
given to AFP. "He has done a great deal to change public
opinion." The designer added that Assange is "a good looking man
and I hope he is going to model."
According to Westwood's PR spokesman, the show is inspired by
Clint Eastwood's costumes in spaghetti western films. The
designer says he has also designed a garment with a Julian
Assange print.
If the fugitive WikiLeaks founder agrees to parade the catwalk
together with six other models, the fashion runway will be coming
to him at the embassy. He has been taking shelter there for the
past two years to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of
sex offenses.
Hollywood actor George Clooney and his lawyer fiancee Amal
Alamuddin, who has acted as part of Assange’s defense team, have
been asked to attend the show and sit in the front row.
If they accept the invite, the celebrities will not be the first
to visit Assange. Vivienne Westwood wore a t-shirt with the
slogan "I am Julian Assange" when she visited him at the
embassy in 2012. Singer Lady Gaga and director Oliver Stone are
among his other previous guests.
Assange also communicates with the public online. In 2013, he
addressed the audience at rapper M.I.A's New
York concert via Skype. Last week, he launched a Reddit Q&A
session to mark his two years of confinement at the Ecuadorian
embassy.
When approached by The Independent, the British Fashion Council
was "unable to shed light on the story,” with its spokesperson
saying the organization does not oversee model castings.
Ben Westwood is the eldest son of Vivienne Westwood, who has
raised 3,000 pounds (US$4,700) for the embattled whistleblower
through the sale of items.