Kingfisher celebrates fifth anniversary of Kingfisher Fashion Awards Kingfisher Fashion Awards 2005 winners announced

April 04, 2005 -- (Business Wire India): Kingfisher, India’s number one beer brand, today hosted Kingfisher Fashion Awards 2005 at a spellbinding ceremony held to announce the winners of awards in different categories and showcase new collections of leading designers at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai. The Kingfisher Fashion Awards – one of the first fashion awards brought together top Indian designers, ravishing models and the hottest celebrities to honour the contributions of professionals in the fashion industry who have worked long and hard to establish themselves in a highly competitive market. The list of awardees include: --Designer of the year: Rajesh Pratap Singh --Model of the year: Deepika Padukone --Model of the year: Rajneesh Duggal --Photographer of the year: Bharat Sikka --Lifetime achievement of the year: Shahab Durazi --Make-up artist of the year: Mickey Contractor --Hair stylist of the year: Cory Walia --Fashion writer of the year: Superna Motwane --Contribution to the fashion industry: Neeta Lulla --Contribution to the fashion industry: Narendra Kumar --New model of the year - male Mustafa Hussain --New model of the year - female Rachael Bayros The panel of eminent judges for this year were Dr. Vijay Mallya, Prasad Bidapa, Shobhaa De, Nonita Kalra, Asha Baxi, Atul Kasbekar, Satya Saran, Caroline Young and Feroze Gujral. The highlight of the evening was the new line of Kingfisher prêt unveiled by eminent designer Manoviraj Khosla. Neeta Lulla, Rajesh Pratap Singh, and Narendra Kumar also showcased their latest collections. India’s top models including Sheetal Malhar, Nethra Ranguraman, Fleur Xavier, Acquin Pais, Shahwar Ali, Aryan Vaid, Upen Patel, Muzamil Ibrahim, Praveen Sirohi, Inder Mohan Sudan, Zulfi Syed and Rajneesh Duggal walked the ramp for this show. As a build up to the event `Kingfisher Model Hunt’ was conducted in the most happening night spots of Mumbai. The model hunt was conceived to ensure that new talent was given an appropriate and opportune platform to make their debut and get recognized. Judges Atul Kasbekar, Prasad Bidapa and Manoviraj Khosla selected Jasmine Dawda and Tanveer Shah to walk the ramp with India’s top-notch models. Kingfisher Fashion Awards 2005 Speaking with media persons at the awards ceremony, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman of The UB Group, commented, “The Kingfisher Fashion Awards play a significant role in encouraging and promoting the best in Indian fashion industry. We are delighted to have created this platform to celebrate exceptional talent. It is not only designers and models we honour, but also the creative foundations on which this industry is built”. Talking about Kingfisher, the brand and the awards, Kalyan Ganguly, Managing Director, United Breweries Ltd. said, “Among the core values of Brand Kingfisher, fun, youthfulness and style play a prominent role. This has manifested in ways like the inimitable Kingfisher Swimsuit Special Calendar, The Kingfisher Line of designer wear and the Kingfisher Fashion Awards. This commitment has made Kingfisher Fashion Awards the most prestigious and sought after.” The Kingfisher Fashion Awards comprised a glitzy ceremony choreographed by Prasad Bidapa. Comperes Isha Koppikar and Rahul Dev ensured that the heady mix of designs, models and music created an experience more expansive than traditional fashion pageantry. The Kingfisher Fashion Awards, currently in its fifth year is widely acknowledged as the ‘Oscars’ of Indian fashion, it has recognized and honoured some of India’s top fashion professionals. The awards have earlier been staged in Bangalore, Delhi and Goa and this is the second time that they are being held in Mumbai.