From cartel to fashion

El Chapo’s wife conquers Fashion Week in Milan

Emma Coronel on the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week(Bild: AP/Antonio Calanni)

From the Mexican underworld to Italian fashion heaven: the wife of former Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán made her debut at Fashion Week in Milan. 

Emma Coronel showed the designs of designer April Black Diamond in an elegant city palace. Among other things, she wore a white dress adorned with feathers and glittering stones and a crown like a fairytale princess.

 "Deserves a second chance"
"I believe that everyone deserves a second chance," wrote the fashion designer from Los Angeles. "She is not just a model for our clothes, but an example of strength, courage and hope," the designer added.

Emma Coronel as a kind of ...(Bild: AP/Antonio Calanni)

... Fairytale princess on the catwalk.(Bild: Antonio Calanni / AP)

Coronel is a former beauty queen who holds both American and Mexican citizenship. She was sentenced to 36 months in prison in the USA at the end of 2021 for her involvement in her husband's drug empire. She was released from prison on parole around a year ago after serving just over half of her sentence.

Emma Coronel on the catwalk(Bild: AP/Antonio Calanni)

Most powerful drug lord in history
Her husband "El Chapo" is considered one of the most powerful drug lords in history. He led the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico for around 25 years and smuggled tons of cocaine into the USA. He managed to escape from Mexican prisons several times.

After his extradition to the United States, he was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years. He is serving his sentence in a high-security prison in the state of Colorado.