With an accidental entry into the fashion industry at the age of 17, Alesia Raut soon turned what she felt was uncommon about her to her advantage — her extreme height of 5 feet 10 inches as a teenager. She rose to becoming one of the most prominent faces in the glamour industry as a supermodel, choreographer and an official ramp walk trainer for Miss India and Miss Universe.
Along with her sister and model Anjali Raut, who has also been training Miss India contestants in diction, Alesia will be visiting Chennai to shed some light onto the unknown side of what it takes to be a successful model in India through a fashion boot camp.
The siblings believe that their careers in modelling happened by chance, but they never looked back once they realised their strengths in it. “My modelling career happened by mistake. It was my mum’s idea, who thought that I should try out modelling and I thought I was too tall for it. I happened to be a finalist in the ‘Look of the Year-1999’ and ever since then, there was no looking back as I found my strength in it. It’s a profession that you can evolve in, but only if you’re ready to learn every day with each project,” 35-year-old Alesia shares.
It is a similar story for her younger sister, Anjali — “I always attended Alesia’s shoots, but the inclination to model was not much. It was only after Alesia filled up my form for the Miss Mumbai pageant that I discovered my innate passion for modelling.”
Through the two-day fashion model boot camp for aspiring models being organised by Zoelle, the supermodel duo will be discussing the secrets to making it big in the highly demanding fashion industry. “Modelling has grown to become a very serious profession. Through the workshop, we will talk about basics that are necessary. I’m going to be specialising in ramp walk training and Anjali in her diction and self projection. I will cover the basics of walking the ramp flat-foot and in heels, various ways of head ramp poses, the entry and exit, understanding the choreography directions, and executing them smoothly and will also offer a sneak peek into all that happens at a fashion show,” says Alesia, adding, “To remain successful, the secret is dedication, hard work and humility — one can be a diva in front of the camera, but off the camera, one should always be down-to-earth.”
The Raut sisters also feel that Chennai is an emerging market for fashion and could soon reach a high. “The city is highly fashion conscious and there is a large scope for development through fashion weeks and other events. It shall soon be the fashion hub of the south,” they sign off.
(Zoelle’s fashion model boot camp will be held on May 18, 19 at Taj Coromandel)
