What girl doesn’t want beauty and a good sense of fashion? Anya Ayoung-Chee apparently has both. She is the winner of Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2008 and the newest winner of Project Runway. This makes her the second winner of Asian descent for fashion design competition, first being Chloe Dao back in Season 2. Ayoung-Chee said that these past two years have been a bumpy ride, with her brother’s death and her sex tape scandal. But now she is on the rise again!
At first the judges on Project Runway were iffy about Anya competing in the challenges because of her lack of tailoring and sewing skills. She had only 6 months of experience in sewing prior to entering the competition. However, Anya proved to the judges and other contestants that she has what it takes to compete and even become the winner.
Throughout each episode, I noticed that what makes her stand out from other contestants is the fact that she has a unique palate for finding interesting prints to create garments that are chic and modern. In most of the challenges, Anya created looks that many girls, especially me, would love to wear. Among the many designs she created, my favorite is the high-end dress that was inspired by a raven.
Even though she is part Chinese, her inspirations come from where she was raised, the Caribbeans. When her competitors and she were given the challenge to create and showcase three pieces of their collection before fashion week, she had horrible critiques. At that point, I even thought she was not going to make it to Fashion Week. All of her designs were ordinary, except for the bathing suit. The gown looked too homely and it even highlights her weak tailoring skills. However, she had a chance to turn herself around at Fashion Week.
She proved to the judges and everyone that she is indeed a good designer. My favorite designs in her collection were the opening dress and the bathing suit. Although her whole collection was good, I thought her fellow contestant, Viktor Luna’s collection was much better because it was more sophisticated and tailored. But my opinion does not determine who the winner is! The judges unanimously voted for her to be the winner. I think she deserves it though! Her victory means a lot to her home country, Trinidad and Tobago. She is using her prize money to start off a micro-finance loan program that encourages young people from Trinidad and Tobago to pursue creative careers. Why did she win and not the others? I think it is because she has a personal branding and a more clear direction of how her brand should be compared to the other contestants or it could also be because she was the judge’s pet.
[Photo Credit: www.mylifetime.com]
