He walked the ramp at Milan and Paris and created a flutter in many a heart. Flip through fashion magazines and your eyes won’t miss his savvy looks that hug the glossy pages in style. Showcasing the best in haute couture is nothing new to him. But what was it that excited the international face while he graced the Kingfisher fashion show in the city recently? “It was an opportunity to feel the pulse of my hometown. Kochi is rocking,” says Tony Luke Kocherry, the only model from Asia to be signed on by Italian brand Krizia Umo.
Tony who belongs to Thevara, was shortlisted from some of the best models in the world. “It was a great experience. I found a place among Brazilian and Cuban models who are supposed to be the best in the world,” says the former student of Choice School. The sixfoot tall model has been a go getter from his school days. He was the school cricket captain, stole the limelight by being the topper in his class and won the first under-16 cup for the state. “My only competitor in academics was my classmate and friend Ranjini Haridas,” says the 26-year-old who went on to take a degree in engineering from PESIT, Bangalore and a post-graduate degree from RBS College , London. That’s when he had a brush with the world of glamour and glitz.
“Initially modelling was just a means to supplement my pocket money. My parents didn’t mind as it did not affect my studies.” Soon Tony began to walk the ramp in Bangalore for fashion shows by Prasad Bidappa and Rahul Shetty. But the 2004 audition for the Lakme Fashion Week which had judges like Wendell Rodricks, Rohit Bal and Lubna Adams changed the course of his life.
”That was the last time that Lakme held only one fashion week a year. I was the only one selected from Bangalore for the show.” Soon offers started pouring in and Tony was much sought after in the Bombay Fashion Week, Beijing Fashion Week(2006) and Milan Fashion Week(2007).
“It’s big money but it’s hard work to establish yourself as a model.” Tony believes grooming has only a small part to play in improving oneself. “A good frame and an attractive personality are vital. But though endowed with these, for an Indian model to gain international repute is tough.” A fact Tony came to terms with at the 2006 Beijing Fashion week. “Beijing is one of the biggest racial markets in fashion,” says Tony as he leads us into a world where a model is rejected downright if he is tagged a ‘brown skin’.
“Shanghai is one of the most happening places in the world. But each day of my four-month stay at the city was gruelling with several castings by top model agencies. But I was not ready to take the word ‘No’,” says the model who proved himself by walking the ramp at the much-hyped fashion week. “At the show I featured a bald look. That was enough to steal the hearts of Chinese women,” he says letting out a hearty laugh.
Tony who has been featured in top notch fashion magazines like GQ and Men’s World is not for fads like six pack. “During a show the focus should not be on a model’s body but on the clothes he is showcasing. He or she should be able to accentuate the various features of an outfit,” says the youngster who has worked with top fashion photographers like Catherine Baumach and Mike Newton. Tony, who idolises the looks of Brazilian sensation Bruno Santos, is gearing up for the the next season of Lakme Fashion Week that will take place in September.
jijicherian@epmltd.com