Native & Vogue fashion unveils ambassadors in Port Harcourt

Both Joy and Ategobia emerged as the faces of the 2014 edition of the fashion show for both male and female categories. The duo emerged winners out of 18 persons shortlisted by the panel of judges. The new ambassadors of the Native & Vogue would smile home with  the  sum of N500,000 each. The winners […]

Both Joy and Ategobia emerged as the faces of the 2014 edition of the fashion show for both male and female categories. The duo emerged winners out of 18 persons shortlisted by the panel of judges. The new ambassadors of the Native & Vogue would smile home with  the  sum of N500,000 each. The winners would  also have their photographs displayed on giant billboards across the state capital and in all communication materials for the fashion show. They would  also be named the youth ambassador of the state, while the state government will engage them in all its communication activities.
Unveiling the new faces of Native/Vogue in Port Harcourt,  a celebrated fashion designer, Frank Oshodi,  said the contestants  passed through a rigorous process before they were selected. “It was very difficult to get who the new face of Native & Vogue would be. We selected 18 finalists for the event. We had to get a face that has a little mystery around them. We listed six criteria for the contestants. Some of the criteria were that the person must reside in Rivers State; he/she must be an indigene of the state and must have good height. We looked at faces that are unusual and mysterious. We are particular about skin. We also want to expose the winners to international events,”  he said.
The Managing Director of Neomantra, one of the organisers of the event, Nkeiruka Ogadinma, said the panel received about 300 entries for the models, out of which 10 persons were shortlisted. She said the fashion show was targeted at bringing out the positive image of the participants and expressed optimism that this year’s show would be better than last year. “We were looking for better faces than we had last year. The winners, apart from the prizes they would  take home, would  also be exposed to the huge platform where their talents would  be exposed,” she stated.   
Earlier,  Rivers State Commissioner for information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari,  who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Cordelia Peterside, said the fashion show would go a long way to showcase hidden talents among youths in the state.
“I am happy that the programme went well last year, if not we would not have been here this year. Rivers State has a lot of investment opportunities. We have opportunities for young people to excel. The event would help to showcase hidden talents. We have wonderful opportunities that would make you excel,” she said.
She commended the organisers for the wonderful job they did  and expressed hope that this year’s event would be better than the previous ones.
The highly elated Joy and Ategobia,  in their separate  speeches,  said they  were  very happy and fulfilled that they  had been chosen as the face of Native & Vogue, stressing that their respective  families would be very happy that they were  selected.