Russian President Vladimir Putin has flashed a stylish blue scarf cape adorned with traditional ornaments of the Maori people as he addressed the participants of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2021 summit via a video conference.
In doing so, the president upheld the lasting tradition of world leaders to don national or national-themed garments of the host country, which this year is New Zealand. Knowing that because of the pandemic leaders would be participating in a virtual APEC conference, Wellington had sent out the scarf capes to them. This way the presidents and prime ministers were able to take part in the traditional collective photoshoot in national clothing in front of their web cameras.
20 November 2020, 14:15 GMT
The scarf capes are made of fine wool harvested from a breed of Merino sheep, believed to be one of the best sources for this material. Their properties are so highly valued that merino wool is even used in manufacturing of suits for astronauts.