Winners of ‘Face of India’ represent the country and declared winners at the Asia Model Festival 2016 in Suwon, South Korea
India made its distinct mark by winning numerous coveted titles across the board, at the 11th Asia Model Festival in Suwon, South Korea.
A team comprising of the best talent from around the country, India is proud to present the winners of Asia New Star Model Contest 2016:
Rishabh Bajaj – Asia Star Model
Jitesh Thakur – Asia Promising Talent
Ankush Kukreja – Face of Asia
Riddhi Kumar – DONGAN MISO Oriental Medical Clinic Award
Surabhi Nigam – Beauskin Award
Being the largest festival in the Asian fashion and beauty industry since it was first incepted in 2006, Asia Model Festival witnessed an influx of talent from 25 Asian countries showcasing up to 125 models this year alone! Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, it’s an International platform that focuses on bringing together the best talent from across Asia!
Mr. Badal Saboo, Chairman of Face of India, along with Korea Model Association launched Face of India in 2015. Being its second season, Team India contested with models from various super powers of Asia and came out winning the most sought-after titles!
The Suwon journey started with all the participants of 25 countries starting with Boot Camp. A melting pot of cultures, the participants got an opportunity to interact with an exceptional team of artists from all over Asia and experience the multi-cultural way of living and learning. Being trained and groomed by international choreographers and mentors, it opened the world of International Fashion and its many eclectic facets for them to see and be a part of!
Kicking off the glamorous event, the line-up comprised of sub- category contests such as
the “Asia New Star Model Contest,” “Asia Model Festival” and the “Asia Model Awards”
Representing India in the finale of ‘Asia Star Model’ contest, Rishabh Bajaj won the desired title with Jitesh Thakur and Ankush Kukreja winning the ‘Promising Talent of Asia and the ‘Face of Asia’ titles respectively!
Joining the male contestants were the female contenders Riddhi Kumar and Surabhi Nigam who received the “DONGAN MISO Oriental Medical Clinic Award”
and “Beauskin Award” respectively, at this most awaited extravagant festival of Asian countries.
Fostering cultural exchange between participating countries, the winners get an opportunity to showcase their talent in Asia and beyond and have International assignments that take them far and wide.
The following day, the event consisted of numerous state-of-the-art fashion shows and performances showcasing works by artists and designers throughout Asia. Dazzling ensembles of traditional clothes, hairstyles, makeup and Jewelry came together in this celebration of various Asian cultures.
With fashion shows that witnessed well-known brands such as Nivedita Saboo, a leading fashion designer from India who showcased her latest collection “Unlearn”; a renowned designer from Kazakhstan and other Asian super powers showcased their collection. K-pop performances starring Asia’s top entertainers and beauty experts were also a part of this scintillating celebration!
The third major event was the Asia Model Awards. The award ceremony held at the Ramada Plaza, Suwon, consisted of awards given to brands and artist that have made the most impact on the Asian beauty industry in the past year. Elena Fernandes, a super model was the Maxim cover girl, walked the red carpet and represented India at the Asia Model Festival 2016.
The event hosted fashion shows by 25 Asian countries, each adding a modern twist to their traditional dress. The “Traditional Clothes Fashion Show,” exclusively displayed traditional attire from each of the 25 countries on a special stage built at the Hwaseong Haenggung Palace. Indian Models walked the ramp wearing traditional clothes designed by ace designer Nivedita Saboo. At this show, the models not only showed off their clothing but also gave performances representing their native culture.
“Today, models play a leading role in Asia’s cultural exports,” says Yang Eui-sig, chairman of the Korea Model Association. “By promoting models as cultural assets, we hope that the Asia Model Festival will act as a platform for closer co-operation between the fashion industries of Asia and the world.”
“This year India bagged the title at the Asia Model Festival. It is unquestionably a moment of great pride for our country and it brings immense joy to see top Indian talent representing India at such a global platform. This pageant has surely brought the best of opportunities for contestants who can now foray in to the International world of modeling using the right channels” – says, Badal Saboo.
Asia Model Festival is a perfect global platform for talent across the sectors of modeling, design, fashion, acting and music. It not only promotes global business but also gives an opportunity to exchange Ideas with the relevant talent and movers and shakers from all across the world. It plays a role as the center hub to familiarize and span the perfection of Asian fashion and beauty industries to the whole world.
The vision is to build a strong foundation that offers equal opportunities to all the existing professionals & upcoming talent in the field of fashion and to give them an opportunity to showcase their strengths worldwide and assist industry players in exploring the consumer market internationally.