I t was a beautiful evening on the 15th of October when celebrities, students and models all came together at the Bukit Damansara Community Hall to raise money for charity. Runway 101, a model search competition organized by Help University College’s Institute of Public Relations Malaysian Student Assosication (IPRMSA), was a glamorous event put together to raise funds for Mercy Malaysia, a charity which provides medical and material help to the needy.
The event kicked start at 8.15pm with an opening act by the Inversion crew. They entertained the crowd with an innovative hip hop dance routine. This was followed by some background information presented to us by the bubbly host, Shannon who also informed us that the delay (the event was supposed to start at 7.30) was due to two models losing their shoes! The opening portion of the event ended with speeches from both Commander Anthony of HELP University College and organizing chairperson of Runway 101, Dennis Khor.
Hip hop dance performance by Inversion Crew
A speech by Dennis Khor, organizing chairperson of Runway 101
The judges for the evening?
L-R: Amir Luqman (Malaysian designer), Hans Isaac (Actor, Film Director, Producer), Andrea Fonseka (National Director of Miss Universe Malaysia) and Andrew Tan (CEO and founder of Malaysia’s top modeling agency Andrewsmodels).
A must share photo of the gorgeous Andrea Fonseka!
The fashion show then begun, with an introduction to our 12 finalists: Mikko, Zara, Debbie Chen, Kimberly Han, Saki Gao, Jade Veronica, Simren Gill, Aurelia-Ann, Michelle, Melanie, Symren and Jo-Ann Tan. They strutted down the runway in minimalistic black tanks and fitting jeans!
The fun part about this model search is that the audience gets to vote for the category Audience Favorite Model! Voting boxes were set up before the intermission during which the audience savored food sponsored by Tasty Touch Catering and drinks sponsored by Sofresh.
The intermission was followed by another fashion show. This time, the 12 gorgeous girls were clad in gowns designed by our very own Amir Luqman! Here are a few of our personal favorites!
On Zara, a stunning, sparkling gold gown with ruffles on one shoulder.
On Jo-Ann: a sexy simplistic silk gown in deep purple with sexy exposed back.
On Symren, a black mesh tiered gown with gold lining.
On Aurelia: a black full sequin gown with prominant ruffles on one shoulder and trailing chiffon.
On Mikko: A silk gown in the sweetest shade of pink with beautiful lace and sequin embroidery.
As we waited for the girls to get ready for the next show, we were entertained by Shannon who grilled the judges on their opinions of the models’ performance thus far and their advice on how to make it in the business.
Andrew enlightened us on the model search process, turns out models don’t need a specific look or height! They simply need to capture the professional’s attention with an it factor that is within them. Hans believes that perseverance is the key to making it in the entertainment business. Amir advised next season’s models to practice walking more because “I can see that my heels are higher than theirs!”. Andrea agrees and adds that the modeling industry is rough and the only way to do well in it is to do the same thing over and over again until you master it.
After the intermission, the models strutted their stuff once again. This time clad in beautiful evening dresses in jewel tones, all by Oscar Designs.
Gorgeous evening gowns by Oscar Designs.
The evening slowly drew to a close with special thanks to the judges and sponsors, acknowledgement of the Runway 101 Organizing Committee and, of course, the presentation of the mock cheque to Mercy Malaysia!
The best part about raising RM 5,500 for charity? Having our very own actor Hans Isaac double the amount! A total of RM 11,000 has been raised for Mercy Malaysia to aid the needy!
And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the announcement of the winners!
Best Photoshoot Model goes to….
Mikko!
Audience Favorite Model goes to…..
Melanie
WINNER OF RUNWAY 101
SYMREN!
The winner of Runway 101 received RM 129 worth of Crocs voucher, RM 1000 cash, a portfolio photo shoot worth RM 650 from Baddogz studo and RM 2,500 voucher redeemable for Amir Luqman made to measure products at Amir Luqman’s boutique! Congratulations Symren!
And that marked the end of the second season of Runway 101, an enjoyable and beautifully organized event by IPRMSA of HELP University College. We certainly hope to see more from these talented models and event organizers!
For more information, visit www.help.edu.my or www.iprmsa-huc.blogspot.com!
Pictures credited to Ashreen Kaur.
