Latvian president turns fashion model

  • 2016-09-21
  • Latvian Public Broadcasting Service

Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis seems to have taken inspiration from a recent meeting with his Italian counterpart by modelling for advertisements in an Italian fashion magazine.
Vejonis and his wife Iveta appear in the pages of glossy catwalk catalogue Collezione Haute Couture in the latest edition with the main cover line “Portraits of Dreamers.”

They are featuring couture works by Anna Osmushkina, who is regarded as one of Latvia’s leading fashion designers.
Vejonis, usually known for his down-to-earth approach to life as an ordinary guy from Madona, is revealed in a new light, first as a rather raffish Riviera aristocrat complete with cravat, then as more of a Marcello Mastroianni-type man-about-town lacking only a sports car in his pursuit of La Dolce Vita.

Other features in the magazine, which retails at 40 euros, include an intriguing look at “Life as a Maharaja” which quite makes the reader wish to be a Maharaja if he or she has not previously considered whether or not he or she would like to be a Maharaja, and another feature simply labelled “Sexy Gloves.”

Nor is Vejonis the only Latvian politician to have endorsed Osmushkina’s creations. Another recent photo shoot featured Riga Deputy Mayor Andris Ameriks showing off his scarf and socks (he was wearing other clothes too, including rolled-up trousers).