New Delhi, June 8, 2011: The search for the most beautiful faces is finally coming to an end! The top 20 finalists for the world’s most prestigious modeling contest have finally been selected. Ford Models’ ‘Super Model of the World’ auditions in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore  saw overwhelming participation from gorgeous girls across the country out of which the final 20 have been announced.

Each of these girls stand a chance of being a part of the prestigious global contest and winning the much coveted international modeling contract with Ford Models worth $250,000. The two runners up will receive contracts worth $150,000 and $100,000 respectively. The winner from India will also get the opportunity of walking the ramp at the next Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week organized by FDCI and be on the cover of Marie Claire.

The finalists will undergo a rigorous training programme under the able guidance of renowned fashion and fitness experts from the industry. During the span of the week commencing June 7, 2011 to the Grand Finale on June 15, 2011, the girls will be groomed by industry veterans to be at par with their international counterparts. Grooming sessions on hair and make-up will be conducted by Ambika Pillai. Fashion choreographer, Prasad Bidapa will train the finalists to perfect their walk before the finale along with fitness sessions by Rahul Dev and Milind Soman.

One of the finalists said, “Being a supermodel is every girl’s dream, but only some can realize it. I feel privileged to be a part of this contest as it is a great platform for us to learn from the best in the industry and a perfect launch-pad in the world of fashion. The fact that we’re in, is yet to sink in. But considering the competition is going to be cut-throat, I will put in my very best.”

NEW DELHI – 7^th June, 2011 – Based on the incredible success of EasyTone footwear, Reebok is extending its fitness approach and introducing EasyTone Apparel, Reebok’s first apparel designed to help tone key muscles while you move. EasyTone Apparel collection includes stylish tops and bottoms which are designed to help tone key muscles as a part of a healthy fitness lifestyle. Actress Eva Mendes has been roped in as the new global ambassador for both EasyTone apparels and footwear collection.

The premium apparel uses Reebok’s proprietary ResisTone™ bands to create resistance with every move. The ResisTone bands, which are constructed from resistant yet flexible material, are strategically placed on the apparel based on anatomical research and fit snugly against the wearer’s body. The ResisTone bands create resistance which is designed to help tone and strengthen upper body muscles and encourage better posture and body alignment.

Mr. Sajid Shamim, Brand Director, Reebok India, said: “Reebok has a heritage of developing leading fitness technologies, from The Pump to ZigTech and EasyTone Shoes and continues this legacy of innovation with EasyTone Apparel. With EasyTone Apparel, Reebok is leading and expanding the toning category, as it has already done with the introduction of RunTone and TrainTone, creating fashionable tops and bottoms designed to help deliver toning benefits while people move”.

Speaking on joining as the global ambassador for Reebok Easy Tone, Eva Mendes said, “I feel better when I’m in good shape, and that’s what I like about Reebok EasyTone – it gives me a little extra as I go about my daily activities. Between long days on the set and travel, it’s not always possible to get a full workout in, so I have to make the time I have count, and that’s why I love going for hikes and walking my dog in my EasyTone shoes. It’s even better since EasyTone apparel flatters my curves and the EasyTone shoes look great – they have a sleek, slim look, just like regular sneakers. As an actress, being fit is important, and EasyTone is my great secret!”

Mr. Sushil sharma, Vice President-Business Development, Luxury Brands, Gitanjali Group said, “Asmi is all about the modern Indian women. Gitanjali has associated with Kingdom of Dreams to approach each milestone and acknowledge their success over the years.”

Mr. Anumod Gagan Sharma, Managing Director, Kingdom of Dreamsadded, “Since centuries the Indian woman has embodied grace and strength in her persona. Today we at Kingdom of Dreams have joined hands with Asmi to celebrate the spirit of substance of the Indian woman that travels through life in multifarious roles, with equanimity and grace.”

Couture designer duo, Ashima- Leena  also added glamour and glitz to the carnival with their couture collection being showcased with a spectacular fashion presentation to celebrate coming together of their exquisite design collection with Gitanjali Group and Priyanka Chopra at the Kingdom of Dreams. The collection was inspired by the Indian royal, infused with new enthusiasms and interpretation of an extraordinary mélange of deep India jewel tones. Enriched with colours of mustards, emeralds, fuschia, crimson, deep blues and purples, the collection was the best of regal culture through centuries.

On the occasion Ashima Singh said, “It’s always wonderful to join hands with corporates like Gitanjali Lifestyle to go forward with our expansion plans.” Added Leena Singh, “The jewellery by Asmi is just apt for the collection we showcased today.”

This association opens the doors for the much-acclaimed products of Quiksilver and Roxy to be available through Quiksilver fascia stores and other premium channels of sale in all major cities across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. The first monobrand store is planned to be launched later this year with an offering to include apparel, accessories and footwear.

Targeting ‘young boys and girls’ between 16-25 years, Quiksilver and Roxy will offer products that capture their aspiration and sense of individuality. Synonymous with the boardriding culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, these brands essentially tap into the young person’s frame of mind – creative, confident, progressive and restless for adventure

“Quiksilver awakens the spirit of surfing that lives in everyone. It’s a spirit that everyone can identify with and wants to be a part of.”

Originating over 40 years ago with the launch of a line of boardshorts, Quiksilver’s essence of creativity, adventure, freedom and being progressive continues to dominate the spirit of the brand. Having expanded from boardshorts to offer shirts, t-shirts, pants, jackets, footwear, hats, backpacks, eyewear and other accessories for young men, Quiksilver is committed to ensuring its products blend functionality, innovation and   durability.

Its logo of a wave breaking over a snowcapped mountain captures what the brand is about and today is recognized as a celebrated name among youth across the globe.

“Roxy is all about heart. When you follow your heart, you inspire the others to do the same”

Launched in 1990, Roxy is an outdoor fashion brand for the girl who is fun and alive, daring and confident, naturally beautiful and appreciates innovation and simplicity. Catering to an active lifestyle, Roxy offers sportswear, swimwear, outerwear, footwear, bags, eyewear and other accessories. Roxy presents fashionable comfort to the spontaneous and free-spirited young girl for all aspects of her life.

Its logo combines offsetting Quiksilver’s mountain-wave logo to look like a heart and is all about heart.

Mr. Darshan Mehta, President & CEO, Reliance Brands Ltd. said “Boardriding, one of the most sought after adventure sports, is increasingly perceived as a state of ‘new cool’ by the youth globally. Our association with Quiksilver will introduce a casual, fun and adventurous lifestyle to the discerning Indian youth. We are very excited about the association which promises to pioneer a global youth trend across the region.”

About Quiksilver

Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) is the world’s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, snowboards and related products.  The company’s apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage.

The reputation of Quiksilver’s brands is based on outdoor action sports.  The company’s Quiksilver, Roxy, DC, Lib Tech and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding

The company’s products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, skate shops, snow shops, its proprietary Boardriders Club shops and other company-owned retail stores, other specialty stores and select department stores.  Quiksilver’s corporate and Americas’ headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz, France, and its Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia.

FarahKhanAli

Wills Lifestyle, ITC’s premium fashion brand, announced that renowned jewellery designer and one of the most active celebrity on Twitter Farah Khan Ali is the ‘Wills Twitter Face’ at the forthcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, India’s foremost fashion and trade event on March 15, 2010.

Wills Lifestyle has initiated this association with @FarahKhanAli to explore the platform of new age media to engage with the patrons of WIFW in an interesting fashion.  It is an effort taken towards striking an instant connect with its patrons and followers of the fashion week. Recognizing the growing popularity of Twitter in India and especially of @FarahKhanAli on this platform, Wills Lifestyle decided to take on board @FarahKhanAli as the ‘Wills Twitter Face’ to cover the event for this medium.

In the last edition of WIFW, for the very first time in the world, celebrity – @GulPanag had tweeted directly from the event venue on the on-goings of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. She attended all the fashion shows and tweeted pictures of the ramp show and her at the fashion week which created a lot of buzz on Twitter.

@FarahKhanAli will be present at the venue on all five action-packed days to review the shows and tweet on the daily dose of fashion week news. She will connect with her followers (which are more than 13000) and share her views on the ramp shows, upload pictures of the event and respond to tweets. All Tweeple can now follow @FarahKhanAli and get live updates from the event itself! They also stand to win invites to the event by following her updates.

Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive – ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing Business Division, said, “This season we are delighted to associate with Farah Khan Ali to be the ‘Wills Twitter face’ of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Farah Khan Ali is a regular on twitter and enjoys a lot of support and fan following on the website. Through this association we will be able to reach out to a large fan following on Twitter and create excitement around WIFW.”

Speaking on this association, Designer Farah Khan Ali said “I am excited to be associated with Wills Lifestyle in this unique way. I promise to bring to my followers regular updates from the venue and to give them a glimpse of the fashion’s grandest celebration, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Watch-out for my tweets as you stand to win a chance to get invited to the event. We will surely have a lot of fun on Twitter!”

Rajesh Pratap Singh, Sunil Sethi and Atul Chand with models

Wills Lifestyle, ITC’s premium fashion brand, announced that Rajesh Pratap Singh will be the designer for Wills Lifestyle Grand Finale at the forthcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, Asia’s biggest and India’s premiere fashion & trade event on March 05,2010 at ITC Maurya.

Wills Lifestyle further strengthens its association with the internationally applauded designer as this is the second time that Rajesh Pratap Singh is the Wills Lifestyle Grand Finale Designer. This season the two pioneers in style and innovation once again come together to set new benchmarks in creativity and fashion.

Atul Chand, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Sunil Sethi(From left)

Announcing this at ITC Maurya, Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive – ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing Business Divison, said, “Wills Lifestyle Grand Finale has always set new benchmarks in creativity and has been a great mix of fashion and entertainment. This season one of India’s most distinguished and celebrated fashion designers, Rajesh Pratap Singh, will be taking the same tradition forward and will create magic on the ramp in his signature style.

He further added, “At Wills Lifestyle, we have embarked on a unique initiative – of a corporate partnership with India’s leading designers to retail their exclusive collections at our stores and making designer-wear accessible to our customers and thus furthering the agenda of promoting the business of fashion. This coming season, Rajesh will be designing an exclusive collection for Wills Lifestyle stores across the country.”

Models representing Rajesh Pratap Singh

The grand finale collection called ‘Bespoke Tales’ is inspired by the evolution of making of clothes and will showcase new experiments with textiles, shapes and colours. Most importantly, it is an honest look at the art and craft of the trade. Rajesh Pratap Singh will also create an exclusive collection for Wills Lifestyle inspired by the grand finale theme that will be retailed from Wills Lifestyle stores across the country in September 2010.

Mr. Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI said, “We are delighted to have Rajesh Pratap Singh once again as the Wills Lifestyle Grand Finale designer at the upcoming edition of the WIFW. He is one of the most respected designers of the Indian fashion fraternity and we are very proud of his achievements. This accolade further emphasizes our belief in his ability to design garments that epitomizes perfection and simplicity.  His approach towards strong aesthetics has helped Indian fashion reach a global appeal. We are convinced that he will put forward an exciting collection that is dynamic and meaningful for the forthcoming 15th edition of WIFW.”

Further Sunil Sethi added, “He liked the simplicity of Pratap what he designed for Mr. Sunil for this occasion. Presenting Gandhi je on shirt is something depicting purity of fashion. It defines the global meaning of purity in all concerns.”

Speaking on the occasion, Rajesh Pratap Singh said, “It is wonderful to be back as the Wills Lifestyle grand finale designer. It is the perfect platform for me to be able to extend my aesthetic to. Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week has always played an important role in India’s creative fashion success stories and I’m delighted to close the week once again.”

The grand finale collection is inspired by the evolution of making of clothes and will showcase new experiments with textiles, shapes and colours. Most importantly, it is an honest look at the art and craft of the trade, the people who constitute the industry and dialogues within the fashion industry.

The Wills Lifestyle Grand Finale will take place on Sunday, 28 March 2010 in New Delhi at NSIC, Okhla, Phase III.

Photo by Lalan Ram