Sandra GonÇalves is excited. The pretty Portuguese teenager has been queuing for more than an hour but can’t stop smiling. She practises her model pose – hand on her hip, one leg slightly bent and in front of the other – as she waits, then adjusts a curl that has escaped its neatly coiffed position with her perfectly manicured fingers. Although barely 14, she stands tall in her four-inch stilettoes, showing no signs of nerves as she waits to walk the ramp at the first open casting of the Elite Model Look 2013, UAE and Qatar, being held in Dubai Festival City Mall.
Her mother Nadya, who is watching from the sidelines, gestures for her to step out of the queue for a moment. “Why?’’ mouths Sandra, beginning to panic. “Your hair,’’ Nadya whispers. Desperate not to lose her place, Sandra shakes her head. So Nadya walks over, and tends to her daughter’s tresses, eager to make sure she looks her absolute best.
“Sandra just loves dressing up and putting on make-up,’’ coos Nadya. “I often catch her applying my lipstick and striking poses in front of the mirror at home.”
She fishes out a magazine from her bag and flips through it, stopping at an ad featuring a woman in a striking abaya. “Guess who this is,’’ she grins. “Yeah, it’s my little girl.”
Nadya then rushes back to Sandra and flicks a non-existent speck of dust off her dress, smooths a crease and gives her another once- over. “Perfect!” she declares.
A few metres away, in another long queue, is 19-year-old Dubai college student Sajawal Sandhu. Tall, with tousled hair and a cheerful smile, he says he’s been dreaming of becoming a model since the age of 11. “Now I think I’m one more step closer to that dream,’’ he says.
It’s not often that you get to see around 275 wannabe Gisele Bündchens and David Gandys on a cloudy Friday afternoon. But they have all gathered here for what’s synonymous with Paris, and has now touched China and even India – a model hunt. This one is being held by the pioneers in the field – Elite Model Management, which has “discovered” many notable models, including Cindy Crawford, Gisele and Alessandra Ambrosio.
“Size is important, but we are also looking for strong faces,’’ says Shana Sebban Mannarini, chairwoman and owner of Elite Middle East.
“The stress is on a healthy weight. I spotted a girl today who is too thin. We would advise her to put on weight. After the first round the make-up and hairstyling will give each participant an equal chance to look good. The photoshoots are to test if they are photogenic or not. The question-and-answer rounds are to test their confidence, maturity and seriousness about their approach to modelling as a career.”
An eye on the prize
Shana is speaking next to an open area, covered with designer labels, which has been converted into a mini T-shaped stage with a ramp for the catwalk, a judges’ panel and a row of seats on both sides for guests of the sponsors.
At 1.30pm, half an hour before the registration officially begins, a crowd of starry- eyed wannabe models – including Sandra and Sajawal – have already lined up hoping to catch the eye of the judges on what they dream will be the first step towards a glamorous life of catwalks and haute couture. The goal? To win a place in the prestigious World Final being held in Shanghai in December, which will see contestants from 70 countries vying to secure a coveted three-year contract with Elite.
“Ooh, I’m so lucky,’’ laughs Victoria Grafkina. “I’ve bagged the badge that says contestant number one.’’ All of 19, this light-eyed Russian blonde is a student at Wollongong University in Dubai. Dressed in a white sleeveless T-shirt that accentuates her slim frame, black leggings and six-inch heels, she oozes confidence. Her red lips take on a practised pout that makes her look like a walking mannequin.
Clearly she is no stranger to the world of poses. “I’ve done one catwalk in Dubai,’’ she says, adding she has a website and a professional portfolio. “I’m excited to be here.”
Hundreds of aspiring supermodels and their loyal families are now filling the mall. As Sojida Said from FLC Models, one of the co-organisers of the contest, explains, the competition is open to girls aged 14 to 22 and boys from 16 to 22 as long as they’re tall enough. “The minimum height requirement for girls is 172cm and for boys it is 181cm,” she says.
The staff at the registration desk cross-check hopefuls’ heights, hand them a form to fill in and assign them a number on a sticker. For those who are below the age of 18 a ‘no objection form’ has to be filled out by parents. Copies of the completed forms are then handed over to the five judges – chairwoman Shana, Lutece Holding Group; Danielle Elmes, Group Fashion Editor, GN Magazines; Natalie Long, editor of Gulf News’ tabloid!; Ganesh Iyer and Adriana Usvat, officials from FLC Models, co-organisers of the competition.
The contest route follows the typical beauty pageant format: strut the catwalk, then selected candidates are given Elite Model black T-shirts to wear and go through to have their make-up and hair done, followed by a photoshoot. After the girls it’s the turn of the boys. At precisely 2.30pm the catwalk competition starts.
Victoria is the first contestant on stage. Although she looked super confident standing in line, she seems to have developed a case of butterflies in her stomach. “Oh, I’m fine,’’ she says, flicking her hair. And she strides on to the ramp in her skyscraper heels, not a wobble in sight.
It is clear this is a challenge of mind over matter, where poise and confidence are as important as looks. The confident ones make their mark enjoying the attention and swaying to the music. Others are clearly nervous or uncomfortable, walking gawkily on the stage.
One step closer to the dream
Boys next and on the stage it’s white crisp formal shirts versus creased casual T-shirts. Among the group, one guy stands out in his green trousers, black T-shirt and white spectacles. After the first round the jury is in deep conversation, pointing to photos and exchanging glances before calling out the selected numbers. And yes, Victoria and Sandra make it to the next round. “I feel closer to my dream to be a supermodel,’’ says Victoria.
Sandra is relieved, but Sajawal will have to try again next year for his shot at fame.
As Victoria and the other selected boys and girls head to the counter set up by make-up company Kryolan, the registrations continue.
Omar Adamou, 17, says it took him two weeks to convince his father to let him participate in the contest. Standing a head above many other contenders, 195cm-tall Omar has light eyes and blond hair. He looks like Justin Bieber but he gives a mock offended look when the teen idol’s name is mentioned.
“Literally, everyone I know has been telling me that I should be a model, except my dad who wants me to do business,” says Omar from Finland. So what convinced him finally?
“He saw how keen I was and finally gave in.” Omar clears the first round effortlessly and is scheduled for make-up. At the six counters, there’s a frenzy of creativity. Hairdressers iron long hair and curl wavy ends. The make-up artists have just five minutes with the guys and ten minutes to spend on the girls, giving them a natural look with just foundation, lipstick and neutral eye shadow.
Waiting for her turn is Nicole Martin, the only Filipina among the contestants. Erini from Kryolan applies brown eyeshadow as Nicole chats. “I want to represent South East Asians in modelling and this will help me to stand out in the crowd,” she says.
Like her, Jamila Bolat, 17, stands out with her Asian looks. From Kazhakstan, she has expressive eyes and says her dream is to become a fashion designer. “A stint at modelling will give me better insight into this profession,’’ she smiles. All set to study art and design at Istituto Marangoni, London, this summer, Jamila has elegance and poise – qualities the organisers are looking for.
“A pretty, photogenic face is important. But we also want to see how mature they are and if they can handle a career in modelling,” says Elite Middle East’s Shana.
It has been a promising day for her so far.
“I spotted three or four girls with potential to be future Elite models today. After the national casting the selected candidates will be groomed by us before the finals and you will see a big transformation after that.’’
At 5pm the first round comes to a close with the selection of 23 girls and 21 boys. The next round begins at 6pm with the judges being given images from the photoshoots of each contestant on iPads. There will be more runway walks and a Q&A session with the contestants.
Strutting their stuff in style
By 6pm everyone’s ready and looking even more glamorous with their hair and make-up done. The catwalks begin with the girls showing a new degree of confidence.
The mall area is chock-a-block with curious onlookers armed with cameras to capture the glitz. The Q&As are conducted without a microphone so contestants are not intimidated, but this means the crowd can’t hear.
Sandra, who is trying her best to smile through the pain of walking in her newly purchased stilettos, reveals, “They asked me why I wanted to be a model.” Before she can tell me what her answer was, she is dragged away to the green room by her friends.
Backstage the scene is nothing like the descriptions in most media. There are no catfights, tears or mud-slinging. Instead an easy camaraderie has developed between the contestants. Omar and Jamila are exchanging numbers and introducing themselves to new friends.
Their own cameras come out for group pictures as they wait for the final verdict.
At 7.50pm the last batch of contestants take the ramp. A couple in the audience is rooting for their daughter. The indulgent dad mimics girls on stage with an impromptu catwalk in his own style amidst cheering from the crowd.
The jury has a tough task ahead to pick from the finalists. After intense deliberations they’re ready. Everyone lines up to hear the master of ceremonies, Anthea Ayache from Gulf News Radio, announce the results.
As she calls out the winners’ names, victory dances are performed along with some predictable hands-over-the mouth reactions.
As the day comes to a close, just 18 girls and 15 boys make it to the next round – the national casting to be held in August in Dubai.
“Yeah, I’ll see you there,’’ shouts out one of the contestants to her new friend, who she met at the venue.
Omar gives his new BFF a high five. “My Dad will be pleased,’’ he says. “It’s been really great to be here.’’
