Last weekend was the iconic New York Fashion Week. There were a lot of fresh faces walking the runway, many outside of fashion including WNBA player and comedian Sydney Colson, and rapper Saweetie. One stood out from the rest, former CIA officer and whistleblower, John Kiriakou.
The 62 year old professor, podcast host, and civil liberties advocate was asked to walk in Elena Velez Spring/Summer 2027 by designer Velez herself. Velez is known for her anti-establishment, provocateur style; known for inviting controversial and culturally relevant figures to walk in her shows, Kiriakou was an impeccable choice. Kiriakou served as a CIA officer in counterterrorism for 14 years before coming out as a whistleblower of the US’s illegal torture practices during the War on Terror. After exposing the US government, he was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act by exposing the identity of an undercover CIA agent to a journalist. Kiriakou claims his conviction was punishment for his whistleblowing.
In the last year, Kiriakou has become an internet star, known for sharing thrilling stories of his missions, time in prison, and sharing perspectives on current political happenings on podcasts such as Theo Vonn, The Joe Rogan Experience, The Diary of a CEO, and his own, The Briefing Room. His intellect, story telling ability, and unbelievable knowledge of the intelligence world makes him one of the most unique personalities on social media. Easily clip-able and never ending, Kiriakou’s content has gone viral, resulting in over 550,000 followers on instagram alone.
During the show, he sported two looks. First was a monochrome, black set with slim black sneakers, a black structured pant, and a black ribbed leather jacket, fit with black leather gloves and a pair of oversized, dramatic sunglasses. His second look featured a similar black pant and gloves, with a sandy, distressed button up outershirt, matching neck warmer, and solid black cap. The finishing touch? A book about the Watergate scandal tucked under his arm, a telling sign of Kiriakou’s and Velez’s shared interest in government transparency and just surveillance.