Anna Wintour couldn’t resist cracking a smile when model Leon Dame took to the Paris Fashion Week runway on Wednesday.
Dame’s eccentric walk swiftly went viral on social media, which saw the male model stomp the catwalk in towering heeled boots.
Dame, who is a 20 year old Berlin model, became an Internet sensation when he closed out the Maison Margiela SS20 show at Paris Fashion Week yesterday.
In videos shared by numerous attendees - including Dame - Wintour was seen grinning in amazement as Dame strode past her in a nautical leather sailor’s jacket and white shorts.
As Dame exited, he added to the drama by throwing a ferocious glare into the audience.
Of course, it didn’t take long before Dame became a meme on Twitter. Some related hard to Dame’s power stride:
Of course, there were also the inevitable Zoolander references as they compared the walk to Ben Stiller’s iconic strut.
The walk appeared to be an intentional move, with the military-themed collection by John Galliano defined as an aggressive one - aggression “presented as a response to what Galliano feels is apathy, believing we’re not longer moved by a history that might be repeating itself”.
He said on the The Memory Of… podcast: “[The 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, who is also a saxophonist and student, is known for his intense power walk and has previously delighted social media at Maison Margiela shows - though never quite on this scale.
On the same day, Dame also walked for Lemaire SS20 in a much more toned down manner (he can be seen in a grey suit at the very end of the video above).
Here’s hoping he remains a fixture at fashion weeks to come.
