From The Straits Times    |
Singaporean wins Elite Model Look Singapore 2012

Elite Model Look Singapore 2012 came to a satisfying close last night – after weeks of selection and training – but it was clear that everyone was in agreement about the winner.

16-year-old Singaporean Lena Stewen beat 11 other contestants to take home the title, and will be representing Singapore at the Elite Model Look 2012 grand finals in Shanghai in December.

The half-Finnish, half-Chinese model believes her best attribute is her height – she is 183cm, the tallest of the 12 finalists – and is planning to celebrate her win with her family and close friends.

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From left: Jeneieve, Lena and Eugena

“I am really happy right now and I can’t believe I won. I’m planning to head to the after party first to celebrate, then maybe meet my friends and have some fun,” she said.

The Elite Model Look 2012 finals in Singapore took place last night, November 10, at the Hard Rock Coliseum and was hosted by Miss Singapore Universe 2007, Jessica Tan.

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The 12 female and 7 male finalists made three catwalk appearances wearing outfits styled by online retailer Gnossem while judges graded them on their walk and poise. In between catwalk appearances, the event also included performances by Motiv8, the original DJ of the Black Eyed Peas, who energized the crowd with his infectious beats.

First runner-up Jenevieve Woon was overjoyed at her win, but turned the spotlight back onto Stewen when she expressed her joy at Stewen’s win.

“I’m actually really happy for Lena right now, because all of us girls wanted her to win. She has the height and we really think she could represent Singapore so well,” the 18-year-old said.

This year is the first time Elite Model Look 2012 will pick a male winner, and the choice was evidently a difficult one as two winners were chosen instead of one.

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Elite Model Look 2012 male winners Berik (right) and David (left)

Kazakhstani Berik Kazymzhanov and Singaporean David Hong both took home the male titles and will stand a chance at being represented by Elite UK or Elite Milan, or Upfront Models based in Singapore.

The 20-year-old David Hong says he was very surprised at his win.

“I didn’t expect to win at all because I joined the competition by chance. I went to the casting sessions initially just to check it out but one of the Elite staff members asked me to give it a try  and here I am,” he said.

With regards to his future plans after his win, he adopts a very practical attitude, “I am hoping to see where this win will take me, because I realise that winning may not necessarily mean I will be successful [in my modelling career].”

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From left: David, Eugena and Riyaz

Right now, however, Stewen has the most promising future ahead of her and will have to start gearing up for the grand finals in Shanghai on December 1

“I will prepare for the grand finals by continuing what I’ve been doing so far, eating healthy and exercising daily. I stick to a diet of mostly salads and lean meats and do lots of running and ab exercises,” she said.