New Delhi, February 15, 2010: The jury at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week today announced the names of the 10 most talented Indian, new female models who were shortlisted from the second round of model auditions which took place on 12^th February, Friday at Sunil Sethi Design Alliance in Okhla.

These tenacious ramp scorchers were chosen and tested on various physical and attitudinal attributes. In the 'quest for the best', the FDCI organized two rounds of model auditions, where models from across the country were judged by industry experts like Ashish Soni, Anjana Bhargav, Vinod Nair, Rahul Khanna, Niki Mahajan, Aparna Bahl, Payal Jain and Asha Kochhar. The second round of model auditions went a step further by expanding the ground for participation, where FDCI, for the first time ever, handpicked applicants from colleges, universities and through a rigorous digital campaign on Facebook.

Announcing the winners of the auditions, Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India said, "We have always stressed on the importance of introducing fresh faces in WIFW. We organised two rounds of model auditions to ensure that we reach out to a wider base of India talent. The models present at the auditions came from across the country, representing the multicultural talent of India."

Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC's Lifestyle Retailing, said, "The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, country's biggest and most prestigious lifestyle event, is a great platform to recognize and nurture emerging talent. It gives us immense pleasure to see the enthusiastic response to the model auditions with fresh talent drawn from across the country. I am sure the new faces discovered will add a lot of freshness and zing to the event."

The 10 New Faces that were chosen at the 2^nd round of auditions for the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2010 are:

1)      Priyanka Mathur

2)      Rashi Agarwal

3)      Aditi Tyagi

4)      Maragarita Ravona

5)      Pavleen Gujral

6)      Tahira Kochhar

7)      Hasleen Kaur

8)      Kalpana Malviya

9)      Kanika Dev

10)  Divya Sharma

Apart from the 10 new faces, two recognized names - Shipra Malik and Sangeeta Bora were also a part of the shortlisted models.

About Fashion Design Council of India - over a decade in the 'Business of Fashion'

In the last 11 years FDCI has taken the Indian Fashion industry global and secured national pride for the business of fashion. It has been instrumental in promoting the business of fashion and creating new opportunities for all stakeholders. Over the years FDCI has used various marketing platforms, seminars and workshops to promote fashion.  FDCI, a not for profit organization, is the apex industry body in the field of fashion in India. Its primary objective is to provide a cohesive platform for Indian designers and act as the mouthpiece of the industry at all relevant platforms, in a bid to promote Indian fashion - at home and abroad. FDCI is actively involved in promoting the 'business of fashion' and working towards corporatisation of fashion labels in India. FDCI is instrumental in facilitating designer-corporate tie-ups, aimed at expanding the fashion market in the country. To mark its 10^th anniversary FDCI introduced India's first couture week in September 2008 and in its 11^th year the India Mens Week. For details visit www.fdci.org

About Wills Lifestyle:

ITC's Wills Lifestyle has been established as a vibrant fashion brand for the premium consumer. Wills Lifestyle offers a complete lifestyle wardrobe for the premium consumer, incorporating the latest fashion trends for both men and women. A nationwide chain of 50 exclusive specialty stores in 30 cities provides the Indian consumer a truly 'International Shopping Experience'. For details visit www.willslifestyle.com