Paris Fashion Week is always filled with memorable runway moments, whether it’s an extravagant Chanel show or an OG supermodel like Naomi Campbell coming out of retirement. For the Spring-Summer 2020 season, though, the most talked-about thing to happen was German model Leon Dame’s notably strange strut.
On Wednesday, September 25, the 20-year-old closed out the Maison Margiela show in an ensemble complete with a leather jacket with a sailor-inspired embellishment over the shoulders and a military cap. But instead of gracefully gliding down the catwalk, he aggressively stomped his way from start to finish with an odd swivel at the end. And people were here for it, including Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
This clip from the show got a lot of A-list love on social media, from reality stars to Hollywood starlets.
Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Lisa Rinna reposted a video to her feed, writing “Clearly my spirit animal.” January Jones did the same thing, captioning her post, “How I walk out of a room when someone says I can’t do something…”
Twitter users also joined the conversation, with one person writing, “Just f—ing brilliant! Like a brash, baby giraffe leaving FABRIC at 7 am on a Sunday morning…”
But probably the best reaction is in a video that fashion influencer Aimee Song posted showing Wintour sitting front row, smiling and giggling at the sight. “Anna approves,” she wrote in Wednesday’s Instagram Story.
Although it may seem strange and slightly amateur, this isn’t Dame’s first show. Far from it! He’s walked for some of the biggest designer in the world including Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Gucci, and Valentino. He even walked Maison Margiela Autumn-Winter 2019 show. Not to mention, he worked with choreographer and movement director to help really nail it, according to Vogue.
With the collection a World War II military theme, it was by no means an accident creative director John Galliano closed out the show with Dame’s strong, signature strut. As he said on Margiela’s podcast, “The Memory Of…” this season’s collection is “about remembrance, it’s about liberation, it’s about having a voice. These people fought for you so you can vote, so use it. Make yourself heard. It’s important.”
Dame was definitely heard and seen all through his bold movement.
