Bengaluru Teen Fashion Hunt Goes Beyond Set Standards of Beauty to Crown ‘Style Icon of the Year’

In a one-of-a-kind fashion hunt, Bengaluru teenagers broke mainstream beauty norms built around height, weight and colour. The project, called ‘Style Icon of the Year’, scouted for talent from colleges all over Karnataka by conducting open auditions for a contest with selection criteria based on personality, character and originality.

Winners Saakshi Sahu from St Joseph’s University and Ron Kariappa from PESET College were awarded Rs 20,000 cash prize and an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national platform. They were crowned from among 30 finalists who walked the ramp at Bowring Club in Bengaluru, after two months of rigorous training.

These 30 teenagers were chosen from a shortlist of 100, for which 5,000 youngsters were auditioned. They were trained in walking, diction, dance, fitness, etiquette, acting, skincare and mental health.

The aim of the contest was to prioritise character and originality above set standards of beauty followed in traditional pageants. “We are mainly focusing on body positivity and also gender fluidity. We had a contestant who was selected and he was okay to be named him or her; he was gender fluid. We are not looking at certain criteria or norms; it’s completely based on their confidence and personality,” said Ria Jamal, the project organiser.

Grooming the selected candidates was also part of the project. “Fashion is ever evolving and it’s important we adapt to the current mood. Models who were once required to be lean and tall, no longer have to face such compulsions. Today, a great personality is half the work done. It’s all about bringing out one’s original style, peppering it with some ethical fashion and presenting it with absolute confidence,” said Zulfiker Ahmed, the co-founder of production house that organised the contest.

Judges included top names including actor Priyanka Upendra, fashion choreographer Sheetal Sharma, celebrity photographer Wasim Khan, model Pashmeena Barker, designer PELLA as well as celebrity anchor and web series star Pooja Bhamrrah.

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