TALLINN (Reuters) - Estonian supermodel Carmen Kass wants to swap the catwalk for the corridors of power and will run for a seat in the European Parliament in June for the right-wing Res publica party of Prime Minister Juhan Parts.
Kass, 25, was spotted by an Italian scout in a shopping centre when she was just 14 and ran away to Milan against her mother’s wishes to try her luck in the fashion industry.
She went on to work for top names including Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, DKNY, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, and is said to have made $5 million (2.7 million pounds) last year.
"Competition and work is as tough in politics as it is in business," Res publica’s Siim Mannik told Reuters. "Carmen has reached the top in her own field, and this will enable her to gain influence in the arena of political debate."
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Her Baltic country of just 1.2 million people has long been known in the fashion industry for its tall, blue-eyed beauties.
Another prominent Estonian who will run in the European Parliament elections is decathlete Erki Nool, the gold medal winner in the last Olympics and a contender this year in Athens.
