Korea's Seung-hyun Kang catwalked to the grand prize in last night's Ford Supermodel of the World finale, beating out 48 other girls for the 250K Ford modeling contract. In an industry where you can count the successful Asian faces on one hand, Kang's victory (she's Ford's first Far East winner) will hopefully open doors for more girls like her. Now in its 28th year, the Ford Supermodel contest was the original platform for unknown faces to compete for a chance to pursue their modeling dreams. How does it stay relevant in the face of countless "make me a model" programs? The company launched its own series of televised contests in 21 countries last year, including Korea, where girls competed to represent their country in the finale. But don't expect Ford winners to go the way of television's other top models—contracts have been awarded to past contestants Chanel Iman (on hand last night to present Kang with her contract), Camilla Finn, and Adriana Lima.
—Romney Leader
Style.com
