Last Saturday was a busy one for teenagers around the country as they all flocked Kati Kati Grounds to witness the crowning of the Miss Teen 2013. The campaign which aims at crowning a girl who is smart, eloquent, playful and fun loving came to a close after touring into up to 80 schools. According to the Mirinda’s brand manager Ms Bernadette Kizza, the campaign was running for its third year. This is a great experience that many of us wish we had back then when we were still in high school.
This year had exciting things; the pomp and glamour was in high gear and new categories were introduced. The categories included Miss Brainy which looks for that smart and brilliant girl; Miss Entrepreneur which awards outstanding girls in the field of business and Miss Fashionista which awards those creative girls who are good at design. Obviously the latter was our most sought after category and we watched the proceedings gleeful as the Miss Fashionista was crowned . We are all for developing young talent in fashion.
The category had nine extremely creative teenage girls. These came from across the country and represented what Uganda can offer. According to a Mirinda rep, these girls designed their dresses in a space of 24 hours which according to me is a record time to pull off such a task. Let us all review these dresses together. I know all these girls have the potential to make it in fashion and design if they put their minds to it.
Dress 1 is a great design. The detail in the weight is a work of art. It also looks finished and wearable.
Dress 2 looks pretty. However the design is not far from what we see in boutiques around. However the detail she had at the back gave the dress some edge.
Dress 3 is a sort of bandage dress with the detail in the neck. It flattered the model. You notice that the designer took time to understand who she was designing for.
Dress 4 is beautiful. It is a real design that someone took time to think about. The fact that the designer chose Mirinda colours is a genius choice to impress the judges. I hope it worked in her favour.
Design 5 is a jumpsuit. I love this jumpsuit even when I feel it’s unfinished. The detail on the bust makes it look more beautiful. I suppose if this designer had been given just 2 more hours, she would have made this look better.
Dress 6 is a work of art. The designer should be an Art student. This beautiful design was however killed by the busy accessorizing. The designer should have opted to tone down on the accessories she put on her model. The look is too busy on the eyes. However its a creation that I’ve never seen.
Dress 7 looks simple. It’s a great design even when the designer put her little time to little use. It looks like something she did in a few hours. I give her marks for designing something wearable in the easiest of ways though.
Dress 9 is an elegant design. The model mastered the art of minimalism. You notice the lace detail on the shoulders and the hands. This is a beautiful dress. You can use little time and little detail to make a beautiful design.
Dress 8 reminds me of that time on Project Runway when a designer fails to finish his or her dress in the given time but still goes on to present it. The bravery the model had in her as she sauntered in an unfinished dress needs some credit. I cannot predict where the designer was headed with this.
Talent can only grow if nurtured while at a young age. We believe this was the most exciting new category. We raise our Fedoras to Mirinda in approval of this move. These girls have the potential of showcasing at Paris Fashion Week if their talent is given this exposure.
The winning designer was crowned by Miss Uganda 2013 First Runner up Anita Kyarimpa. Mirinda couldn’t have chosen some one better for this role. Anita looked every bit dashing.
Anita told the contestants what we would have told them if we were in her shoes. “Fashion is all about creativity!”
The Mirinda sponsored event was a huge success. The teens voted for their Miss Teen and crowned her in style. In the future we feel the winners for this category should get a fashion related award. I think giving these girls an opportunity to intern at Sylvia Owori or Gloria Wavamunno would have been a more be fitting reward as opposed to a cash prize.
We want to see more of this in the future.
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