Emma Coronel Aispuro, 35, wife of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is set to make her Milan Fashion Week debut just a year after walking free from a Los Angeles prison. On Sunday, she’ll take center stage as the lead model for designer April Black Diamond at the historic Palazzo Serbelloni, a venue that once housed Napoleon Bonaparte in 1796.
Born in California, Emma Coronel Aispuro was already a beauty queen when she met Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, 32 years her senior. They married in 2007, when she was just 18, and later had twin daughters, born in Los Angeles in 2011. After Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in July 2019, Coronel’s own downfall followed. She pleaded guilty to aiding the cartel, facing charges of conspiracy to launder money, distribute drugs, and facilitating communication between her husband and his associates while he was jailed in Mexico’s Altiplano prison after his 2014 arrest.
Despite the weight of her involvement, Coronel quickly took responsibility, forfeiting nearly $1.5 million in criminal proceeds to the U.S. government. Her initial three-year sentence was ultimately reduced.
Emma Coronel Aispuro walked out of a low-security prison in Los Angeles on September 13, 2023, after serving two and a half years behind bars. Since then, she has embraced the world of modeling and even made an appearance in a music video. The video, titled “La Señora,” is a corrido by Mariel Colón Miró, a tribute to Coronel’s life story.
Colón, a close friend of Coronel and part of the legal team that defended Guzmán during his New York trial, is also set to walk the runway in Milan. Coronel’s surprise appearance at Milan Fashion Week, revealed in an Instagram post by designer April Black Diamond, has stunned her growing social media following. Black Diamond’s bold and provocative designs have set the stage for Coronel’s unexpected return to the spotlight.
“Not only will Emma Coronel Aispuro grace us with her presence, but she’s been chosen to open and close the highly anticipated show,” wrote designer April Black Diamond in a post featuring Coronel in a wedding gown.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” the designer added in another post, explaining her choice. “That’s why I made the bold decision to hire an extraordinary woman as my main model—a woman who, despite a past marked by controversy, has chosen to rewrite her future. She is not just modeling our dresses; she’s an embodiment of strength, courage, and hope. Her journey from a troubled past to a promising future perfectly aligns with the message of this collection: it is never too late to change, and every woman deserves the chance to walk with pride, no matter where she comes from.”
Coronel, who hasn’t seen her husband, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in five years due to his restricted visitation rights, remains steadfast in her feelings for him. In a recent interview on Despierta América, when asked if she still loves him, she responded, “Love will always continue, of course.”
Milan Fashion Week, one of the fashion industry’s most prestigious events, wraps up Monday, followed by Paris Fashion Week through October 1.
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