Iowa's governor-elect Rob Sand has responded to renewed attention surrounding his Prada modelling past with a joke and a sales pitch, telling followers that an Italian Vogue shot is 'much better' and urging them to buy a 'My Model Governor' shirt.
The $32 (roughly £23) T-shirt was offered through his campaign store, which described each purchase as a contribution to Rob Sand for Iowa, with the shirt provided as a gift in return.
Sand, 44, the state auditor, defeated Republican Zach Lahn on 3 November, becoming the first Democrat elected governor of Iowa since 2006. He is due to take office in January, with Republicans retaining control of both legislative chambers despite losing their veto-proof majority in the House.
How the Prada Past Resurfaced
In his Instagram post, Sand wrote that he was 'disappointed to learn images of me modeling for Prada are circulating' because a photograph from Italian Vogue was 'much better.' He followed the joke with a link to his campaign merchandise store, inviting followers to buy a 'My Model Governor' shirt.
The renewed interest followed a social-media user reposting footage of Sand modelling after his election victory, prompting Vogue to revisit his fashion background. When the magazine asked its Instagram followers whether they knew he had modelled for Prada, his verified account replied: 'Yes, I knew that.'
His campaign also confirmed that he 'did some modeling while in college in the early 2000s.' On X, Sand answered a post about his modelling days with 'Audited: true,' a reference to his role as state auditor, before adding: 'Buy a shirt.'
Sand began modelling while attending Brown University, with work that took him to Paris and Milan. His fashion credits extended beyond Prada to the Japanese label Number Nine and Giuliano Fujiwara, alongside editorial appearances including a fall 2002 spread in AnOther Magazine titled 'Adolescents'.
The work occasionally competed with his interest in politics, with Sand previously telling Newsweek that he missed the opportunity to caucus in his hometown of Decorah in 2004 because he was modelling in Milan.
Why the Modelling Became Political
In October, Lahn's campaign released an ad featuring an AI-generated likeness of Sand and the line: 'He was a European model for real.' Lahn defended the ad, saying its content was accurate.
In a separate statement published on 23 October, Sand's campaign issued a fact check of a Lahn attack ad, disputing several claims and AI-generated images. The campaign disputed one claim from those ads that Sand had been nude during a photoshoot, saying both models were clothed.
Social Media Reacts to Sand
Sand's response also prompted humorous reactions on Reddit, where one commenter laughed at his Instagram caption and another dubbed the Vogue photograph 'Guberneditorial.' Others recognised the photograph before identifying Sand, with one recalling that it 'was the cover of every YA story on wattpad back in the day.'
On Instagram, a comment praising the post as 'Putting the serve in public servant' had more than 5,800 likes at the time of writing, while another said going 'from Kim Reynolds to this is the kind of 180 I really needed'. A Reddit user who identified as a voter put it more simply: 'As an Iowan that voted for Rob Sand: 😻.'
The shirt is now marked as sold out on Sand's campaign store, although no sales figures have been published. Sand is due to take over from outgoing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in January.
