Gulf News: Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Diane Kruger, Gisele Bundchen and Alessandra Ambrosio: they all had to start their modelling journeys somewhere; and that somewhere was with Elite Model Look, an annual modelling competition. It might sound a world away from the streets of Dubai, but don’t toss out that portfolio yet: a leg of the contest — world’s largest model search — will this year be held on our shores.
From the end of March, regional casting calls will be held in malls in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha for men and women aged 14-22. Entrants will be given a chance to walk the catwalk in form-fitting clothes with minimal make up, and candidates should be at least 172cm tall. While the later stages of the competition are limited solely to the fairer sex, male model potentials will be scouted in the preliminary round.
The national casting happens next and will be a closed event with select invitees and parents of the girls. It will feature 60 shortlisted candidates.
“Elite has been the leading modelling agency for the past 40 years and since 1983 the modelling contest attracts over 350,000 participants every year from 800 cities,” said Shana Sebban-Mannarini, the chairwoman of Elite Middle East. “Winners of the contest enjoy such a high success rate in the industry because we understand the seriousness of this career choice as opposed to how people typically view modelling.”
Following the national casting, the Elite model look jury will choose fifteen contestants who will participate in the final.
They will be selected based on their photogenic qualities, personality and natural beauty but also their potential to correspond to current fashion trends.
