October 3, 2014 Asmita Aggarwal

She was just seventeen…

First timers from Serbia, Spain and Slovakia hope to light up the WIFW SS 15 runway as they reveal what makes India most enchanting

By Asmita Aggarwal

She was just 17 when she participated in a beauty contest and that’s when her mind was made up. Lucia from Slovakia, a first-timer at WIFW SS 15, on her maiden trip to India is upbeat about the prospects the country will offer a “girl from Central Europe, who is a travel junkie”.

Lucia

“I started modelling very young, but it gave me a chance to see the world, and it’s different from what you read in books. I have most stunning memories of sights and sounds of cities which I soaked in, as they captured my heart forever. I have been modelling in Thailand. Its picturesque beaches and sandy shores have left me spellbound,” says Lucia.

Hoping to see the monument of love, Taj Mahal and the temples down South, Lucia has a Plan B in place when modelling fades out. “I may start my own agency or just get into fashion design, modelling hones your skills as you are exposed to the best designs in the world,” she smiles.

Unlike Lucia, Serbia-born Andrea can always bank upon her journalism degree. Walking global catwalks from China, Korea to now India, for Andrea exploring cultures was the high and she knew one day she would visit a country that celebrates both colour and spirituality with equal fervour. “Modelling is just not about beauty it is also about poise and dignity as well as character. If you have a great body and a fabulous height, but no personality, you will get lost in a sea of girls,” she says.

Andrea

From the North of Spain comes Rosana, who speaks fluent English and will disarm you by saying that she loves Bollywood songs taxi drivers in her hometown would often play. “They have this urgency, and fast beats which immediately catches your attention,” she giggles. But Rosana is not new to the edgy world of runways, she was spotted when she was 11, participated in the Elite Model Look contest when she was 15 and at 17 was travelling to countries like Hong Kong. Though the lithe model is also an economics student, who is hoping to complete her education through the distance learning programme. “Education will hold me in good stead, it is something I can fall back upon and I’m keen to not give it up. When I do end my career, I want to settle down in sunny California which has this unmistakable vibe and bohemian touch which makes its free-spirited culture most appealing,” she concludes.

Rosana

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