Nigeria’s Davidson shines at Elite Look World

A final year student of Bells University, Davidson Obennebo, has emerged winner of the Elite Look World. The only child of his parents was scouted on Instagram in March 2016 by one of Africa’s leasing agency, Beth Model Africa agents, who invited him to attend an open casting held with Nigerian menswear designer Tokyo James.

From attending the casting, Davidson ended up shooting his first ever campaign for Tokyo and then went on to compete in the Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria 2016 competition, where he emerged winner at National level. He then progressed to the World Finals in Lisbon and became the first black model to ever win elite globally in 33 years.

The grand winners of Elite Model Look 2016 were selected during the evaluation of a committee made up of Elite agents, international model icons such as Isabeli Fontana, Alex Lundqvist and Andrés Velencoso, as well as prominent fashion industry figures. From the 62 finalists from across the globe, 15-year-old Jana from Czech Republic and 20-year-old Davidson from Nigeria emerged overall winners.

Born in Czech Republic, Jana embodies all qualities of a future great – an ability to learn, adapt and show confidence in all situations. The capacity to learn is what Elite singles out, building on singular potential.

On his part, Davidson captured the collective attention of the jury with his promising talents. The first model of colour to win Elite Model Look, Davidson embodies the core of Elite World, which prides itself in pushing boundaries, celebrating individuality and extoling personality. Elite Model Look is not only reflective of society, but also an instigator for change, by encouraging each and every model’s individuality as a path for multiculturalism. In all, 62 contestants from 36 countries participated in the finals.

Both Jana and Davidson will receive contracts worth a guaranteed 150.000 Euros and 50.000 Euros respectively. The Top 15 Winners (10 girls and 5 boys), will receive a two-year contract with the Elite worldwide network. For the other Top Winners, the contracts are guaranteed at 50.000 Euros minimum for the girls, and 20.000 Euros minimum for the boys.

Established in Paris in 1972, Elite is known for discovering and launching the career of some of the most famous models in the world. Since 1983, Elite Model Look and its annual model scouting competition allows Elite to discover the most in demand new faces. The goal is not to find perfection, but individuality.

At its core, the Elite Model Look contest gives participants vital tools to unlock their own potential, enabling each girl and boy to find their unique charisma and talents, setting them apart as models. The Elite Model Look contest has discovered some of the most recognizable names in the industry, such as Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bündchen, Fei Fei Sun and Sigrid Agren.