Julian Assange to Appear in Fashion Show in September

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images(LONDON) — Julian Assange may not have intended to make a name for himself in fashion, but the WikiLeaks founder has found friends in the industry.

Two years ago, Dame Vivienne Westwood crafted an “I am Julian Assange” t-shirt to close her fashion show in London. The piece was said to demonstrate her support for the controversial public figure.

Now, her son has done one better. Ben Westwood has tapped Assange himself to appear in his September runway show alongside six other models. The collection will feature ensembles inspired by Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti western films, a soundtrack lifted from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and at least one custom “Julian Assange print” garment.

George Clooney and fiancee Amal Alamuddin have reportedly been invited to attend.

Westwood told the Daily Mail that he conceived of the unlikely gig to “highlight Julian Assange’s plight” and ensure that Assange does not “slip into obscurity” more than two years after he first sought asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy.

“What happened to him is totally unfair,” Westwood said.

As Assange must stay put in order to evade extradition to Sweden on charges of sexual assault, Westwood will bring the catwalk to his de facto residence in London.


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