Fashion Has No Borders Every Woman Competition

Last weekend, more than 30 Albertans competed for a coveted spot on the runway in the Fashion Has No Borders Every Woman Competition. Avenue was there as one of the judges along with Judy Gabriel from Citytv, Yvonne Jeffery from the Calgary Herald, Mike Chammoury from Edges Salon and Alykhan Velji from My RONA Home.

The contestants were selected from more than 1,500 applicants and nominees. The 10 finalists will walk the  runway at the Fashion Has No Borders Fashion and Accessories Expose event on March 20 at the BMO Centre. One lucky woman will be selected by celebrity judges Jeanne Beker and Ben Barry to walk away with a Breezes Resort package, a designer outfit from Bellisima, a shopping package from the Delta Bow Valley and, most importantly, a one-year contract with the Ben Barry Modeling Agency.

But these are not your typical twig-like models and Ben Barry is not your typical agency. The agency says their aim is to change the literal face of fashion by representing models of all ages, sizes, races and abilities. The women in the Fashion Has No Borders competition were an inspiring group — they had travelled, raised families, started businesses, they were funny, honest and interesting. They were by far, not "every woman" in the sense of being average. Many told stories of overcoming incredible difficulties and the finalists were eloquent, thoughtful and confident. Good luck to them all!

Finalist Katie Nielsen answers questions from host Karen Judge.