Lauren Fisher represents Australia at Elite Model Look
While Australian reality TV shows have been significantly better at finding runway worthy models than most of their international counterparts, when it comes to modelling competitions, there’s only one that really, really matters and it isn’t Dolly or Girlfriend’s.
Elite Model Look is an annual competition held in Shanghai that has been responsible, over its 29 years, for discovering, among others, Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Diane Kruger, Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Fei Fei Sun, Eniko Mihalik and Julia Saner.
Run by Elite, the largest modelling agency in the world, the competition is relatively unknown compared to its reality TV and beauty pageant counterparts. However, within the modelling industry, it's very influential. Last year, Susie Lau wrote a great piece about attending the competition, which is well worth reading as background.
A surreal mix between pageantry and legitimacy, this year the competition’s final will feature a performance from Jessie J, as well as over 70 hopeful young models from 60 countries.
For the first time in seven years, one of those girls will be an Australian, Chic Management’s Lauren Fisher. The trip to Shanghai will be 16 year old Fisher’s first foray overseas, which puts her in a similar position to most of the girls Elite Model Look picks out. She will be accompanied on the trip by her mother.
In 2013, the search for Australian Elite Model Look contestants will intensify, with heats in several regions across the country, and a national final to be held at Melbourne Spring Fashion Festival. More information will be available on the EML Australia website in the coming months.
Australia’s re-inclusion in the competition is further evidence of our growing relevance as a scouting market.
