Street Kitty Struts Fashion Show Catwalk And Shows Models How It's Done

Aug 12, 2022

Models are not the only ones who know how to strut on the catwalk, as one precocious feline showed.

While models were presenting a collection by designer Göksen Hakkı Ali during the Esmod International Fashion Show at Emaar Square Mall in Istanbul, Turkey, an unexpected showboat took to the stage. 

Immortalized in a video posted on Oct. 25, 2018, a confident cat popped up on the stage and began walking down the runway. It appeared to have neither stage fright nor any apprehension and, with the poise and self-assurance of a next-generation Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell, sauntered down the stage to the shock and delight of fashionistas in the crowd.

Perhaps enjoying the spotlight a little too much, the kitty remained on the runway even as models streamed past it one by one. The audience was in awe as the cat settled down and began to groom itself.

Hakkı Ali told The Dodo, “Everybody was in shock." 

Even in the midst of its spontaneous bath, the perky kitty reached out and tried to grab two models by the leg with both its paws. But the professionals kept their cool and continued walking on, unable to indulge the attention-seeking cat. 

Done with the grooming, it walked down the stage, followed by another model. As she trekked down the runway, the frisky feline showed no interest until she passed it. It then grabbed at the leg of her pants with both paws. Unable to keep up the emotionless model facade, a small smile could be seen on her face.

Tired of the show, the feline then moved downstage and, just before making a clean exit, thanked a member of the audience for their time with a little nose kiss. What a class act – or class cat, perhaps.

This little animal wasn’t the first unexpected character to invade a fashion runway. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) members were regular stage crashers in the 1990s and 2000s when fur was still a big thing in fashion. At the 2002 Victoria’s Secret fashion show, Brazilian bombshell Gisele Bündchen was walking down the runway when she was accosted by Peta protesters holding up signs that read: “Gisele: Fur Scum.” She later said the incident had changed her perspective on animal cruelty in the industry. She told Vogue in June 2018:

“Suddenly it dawned on me. I was in the hamster wheel: I’m just going to go out there and be a good girl and do what my agent tells me to do. … It wasn’t until that shock – it stopped me in my tracks. They sent me all these videos. I wasn’t aware of what was happening, and I was devastated. So I said, ‘Listen, I’m not doing fur campaigns.’ It put me in the driver’s seat, finally. The universe comes to you and says, ‘Hello, maybe you should notice this.’ You need to be responsible for the choices you make.” 

The Turkish feline may have blazed a trail for all catkind to make a splashy entrance into the world of fashion as, on Apr. 29, 2019, another self-assured kitty took to the stage, this time at Dior’s Resort 2020 show at the El-Badi Palace in Morocco. Although less handsy than its Turkish counterpart, the cat tottered calmly as a stream of models walked past. It patiently waited as they moved away before crossing the catwalk and into the frame of the audience’s phone cameras. Before bidding adieu, it left one final mark on the fashion world by spraying a beautiful tulle gown. 

What do you think of the Turkish kitty’s appearance on the runway? Do you think it has a future in the modeling industry? Let us know, and pass this on to all the cat lovers you know.