An unusual event has taken place in the American state of Iowa: a man who once conquered the world's fashion runways has been elected its new governor. 44-year-old Rob Sand worked as a model in his youth, showcased Prada clothing in Milan and posed for Italian Vogue. Now the former mannequin is to lead a state famous for its cornfields, farms and agricultural traditions.
Usually the path into big politics runs through law schools, public service and election campaigns.
But Rob Sand's story turned out to be far more unusual.
On 3 November 2026 he won the election for governor of the American state of Iowa, defeating the Republican candidate Zach Lahn.
This victory in itself became a notable political event: Sand turned out to be the first Democrat elected governor of the state in the past 20 years.
However, soon after the election the internet's attention shifted from political questions to the winner's unexpected past.
It turned out that Iowa's new head had once strutted down runways in Milan and Paris, worn clothes by famous designers and taken part in fashion photo shoots.
And not just anywhere, but for Prada and Vogue.
From a small American town to the runway in Milan
Rob Sand was born on 12 August 1982 in the state of Iowa and grew up in the small town of Decora.
After school he enrolled at the prestigious Brown University, where he studied political science.
It was during his studies that the tall and slender student attracted the attention of people in the modeling business.
Sand stood about 190 centimeters tall — quite suitable for the men's runway.
In the early 2000s he began working with modeling agencies and receiving invitations to shows.
Modeling work helped the young man pay for his expensive university education.
Gradually the ordinary student side job turned into a journey through the world of high fashion.
Sand traveled several times to Milan and Paris, where he took part in shows for famous brands.
His professional portfolio came to include Prada, Number (N)ine and Giuliano Fujiwara.
Prada, Vogue and famous photographers
One of the most notable moments of Sand's modeling career was the Prada men's collection show for spring–summer 2003.
It took place in Milan on 1 August 2002.
The future governor walked the runway in clothes by the famous Italian fashion house, never suspecting that 24 years later these photographs would become popular again.
But the runway was not the end of it.
In February 2004, Sand appeared in the pages of Italian Vogue in a photo shoot titled “Be My Baby.”
The shoot was conducted by the famous fashion photographer Steven Meisel.
Brazilian model Caroline Trentini took part in it alongside Sand.
The photographs were styled after 1950s American youth culture: leather jackets, unusual hairstyles, romantic scenes and the atmosphere of old Hollywood.
Trentini later recalled this shoot as an interesting experience of working with a future politician.
For the sake of a fashion show, he even skipped a political event
A particularly amusing episode occurred in 2004.
Sand planned to take part in a party meeting with voters in his hometown of Decora.
But at that moment he was in Milan on modeling work.
As a result, the future governor missed the political event because of a trip to Italy.
It turned out rather symbolic.
In his youth he preferred the fashion runway to a political meeting, and two decades later he himself became one of the main participants in Iowa's political life.
The internet discovered the old photographs — and could not stop
After Sand's election victory, social media users began sharing photographs from his modeling career.
The shots from the Prada show became especially popular.
Fashion magazines and news outlets quickly picked up the story.
Vogue devoted a separate feature to the former model, and numerous jokes appeared on social media.
One of the most popular played on the title of the famous film “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Users wrote that now it is not the devil who wears Prada, but the governor.
Others joked that Sand used to walk the runway, and now he will run an entire state.
The politician himself decided to play along with the joke
Rob Sand did not hide his past or pretend that he had never been involved in fashion.
On the contrary, he responded with humor.
When the photographs from the Prada show began to spread widely, Sand wrote on social media that he was disappointed by only one thing: people were sharing those shots even though he had a far better photograph from Italian Vogue.
Then the politician posted the corresponding image.
His team also offered supporters T-shirts reading “My Model Governor.”
The unexpected popularity of his modeling past turned into a separate internet story that continues to attract attention even several days after the election.
From high fashion to the cornfields of Iowa
The story gains particular irony from the contrast between the two worlds in which Rob Sand found himself.
Milan and Paris are associated with fashion, luxury, designer collections and glossy magazines.
And Iowa is one of the largest agricultural regions of the United States.
Corn and soybeans are grown here, livestock is raised, and an enormous amount of agricultural produce is generated.
The state's landscapes are better known for endless fields, small towns and farms than for fashionable boutiques.
Yet it is precisely this contrast that makes the future governor's biography especially interesting.
He once showcased Prada clothing on European runways.
Now he will have to deal with the state budget, education, the economy and the development of rural areas.
Model, lawyer, auditor and governor
After graduating from Brown University, Sand earned a law degree at the University of Iowa.
He then worked in the state prosecutor's office, where his duties included investigating corruption crimes.
In 2018 he was elected state auditor of Iowa.
In 2022 he won a second term.
And on 3 November 2026 he won the gubernatorial election.
Sand is due to take office as the state's new head in January 2027, succeeding incumbent Governor Kim Reynolds.
Thus his modeling career turned out to be only a small, yet highly unusual, chapter of his biography.
America's most fashionable governor?
Rob Sand's story is a reminder that a life's path is rarely straight and predictable.
A student who worked as a model to pay for his education became a lawyer, then a state auditor, and later won a gubernatorial election.
His past now makes internet users smile, but at the same time it shows how varied a person's professional experience can be.
Perhaps someday, after official meetings in Iowa, Sand will again be asked whether he plans to return to the runway.
And who knows what his answer will be.
After all, far from every American governor can say: “Before governing a state, I showcased Prada in Milan and posed for Italian Vogue.”
