“Fashion Takes Flight”, a Fashion Focus Chicago headlining show, is the final challenge that the 5 Mario, Make Me A Model contestants have to face. Walking alongside professional runway models they have their chance to show why they belong on the catwalk.
Mario Tricoci, beauty and style innovator and founder of Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas, leaders in luxury hair styling and spa services for more than 30 years, started the Mario, Make Me A Model campaign to show that we have talent and beautiful people here in Chicago.
“We fall nothing short of New York or Milano, Italy because we have beautiful people right here in Chicago. And therefore it gives us the opportunity to create a supermodel.”
— Mario Tricoci
Mario, Make Me a Model is a program for aspiring models. Talented young people are given a chance to participate in the open calls held each summer. The semi-finalists then appear in front of a panel of experts from Factor Women, Michigan Avenue magazine, Fitness Formula Clubs, and Matt Ferguson Photography.
The selected finalists, this year 7 of them, continue to a 12 week long training and transformation during which they get a makeover from Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas, runway instruction by Factor Women, and personal training with Fitness Formula Clubs. They will also get a chance to try their skills in a commercial and a photo shoot.
After the training period 5 finalists Laura Almazan, Birgit Dalgaard, Caroline Mazurek, Olivia Simmons and Mana Winkler were selected to continue to the final challenge of walking the runway with professional models at a major show at Fashion Focus Chicago.
On Oct 18 at the completion of “Fashion Takes Flight” show where 5 Chicago based designers, Imaginary People, C.Dahlstedt, J.Cheikh, Shelby Steiner and Azza, have showed their collections the winner was announced.
“I feel ecstatic, it’s an unexplainable feeling. It’s just surreal.”
— Caroline Mazurek, 2012 Mario, Make Me A Model winner
Six areas were factored into Mario Tricoci’s final decision on the winner: the makeover results, the photo shoot, the TV commercial, fitness training, the final runway walk and the public vote. Caroline Mazurek from Chicago had aced it all and was named the winner.
The program provides the platform for aspiring models to start their careers. Since inception in 2008 more then 2400 contestants have come Mario, Make Me a Model open calls. Although only one winner is selected, all finalists are considered for modelling contracts and more then half of the finalists are currently working as models.
Media crew:
Video Reporter – Raven Mai
Event Video – Matt Mantyla, CrowdAround Media
Event Photography – Julian Favela
