Faces To Watch
Female Singapore|August 2018

Project M winners Naomi Huth and Abduaziz Mirzayokub look back on their journey to the top and share their next steps.

Faces To Watch
First impressions first: Eighteen-year-old Naomi is confident and articulate, all sunshine and smiles. On the other hand, Abduaziz (“You can call me anything – Abdu and AB are all okay”) comes across as a slightly awkward, gangly teenager who’s trying not to trouble anyone, despite being 24 and possibly the more experienced model between them. Start clicking, however, and it’s immediately clear how these two got to the top. Naomi starts to sizzle with every pose, while Abdu is all dark curls, chiselled cheekbones and intense, smouldering gaze – definitely deserving of a place in one of those high-end menswear catalogues.

WHY PROJECT M

Hailing from Uzbekistan, Abdu is currently pursuing a marketing degree. Asked why he joined the competition, the former freelance model says: “I wanted to try my luck and also use it as a platform to improve in areas where I’m weak.”

The eldest daughter of a German father and Singaporean Chinese mother, Naomi saw Project M as a chance to meet new, like-minded people. “The description of the contest really captured my attention. When I found out about it, I immediately knew this was something I wanted to try out for and it really was a life-changing experience.”

STRIKING GOLD

“I always win,” is Abdu’s simple answer. He’s quick to clarify that he doesn’t mean that in a bragging sort of way: “I work for it, you know? Things don’t just happen, you’ve got to work for it.”

This story is from the August 2018 edition of Female Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2018 edition of Female Singapore.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FEMALE SINGAPOREView All
Don't Stop Believing
Female Singapore

Don't Stop Believing

All eyes have been on the man behind the most anticipated debut in fashion this season, but Sabato De Sarno-Gucci's new creative director isn't letting the spotlight get to him. Keng Yang Shuen expounds on why he is the antithesis of this era's celebrity designer - and exactly the kind of figure the industry needs in these times.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING
Female Singapore

IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT IS ONE OF THE TOP CELEBRITIES IF NOT THE TOP CELEBRITY ― OF HER GENERATION. SHE WAS TIME'S 2023 PERSON OF THE YEAR AND HER ONGOING THE ERAS TOUR HAS BECOME THE HIGHEST-GROSSING OF ALL TIME. HER TRAJECTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY ARE THE SUBJECTS OF A COURSE AT HARVARD AND IN A WORLD FIRST NEWSPAPERS HAVE TURNED HER INTO A BEAT WITH DEDICATED REPORTERS. THERE'S ALSO LITTLE DOUBT THAT MUCH OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH HER FANS. AS HER CONCERT ROLLS INTO TOWN THIS MONTH, FOUR CREATIVE SWIFTIES TELL US HOW THE AMERICAN IDOL HAS INSPIRED THEM, AND SHAPED THEIR STYLE AND CRAFT.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Female Singapore

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

AMONG THE FIVE LAUREATES OF THE 2023 ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE IS INDONESIAN ENTREPRENEUR DENICA RIADINI-FLESCH, WHOSE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SUKKHACITTA EMPOWERS LOCAL RURAL CRAFTSWOMEN WHILE BRINGING BALANCE BACK TO THE LOCAL FOREST ECOSYSTEM. HERE’S MORE ON THIS NEW STAR ON THE ROLEX LAUREATES NETWORK AND WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR HER.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
THE CRAFT
Female Singapore

THE CRAFT

IN ALL HER YEARS AS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DIOR, MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI HAS USED HER INFLUENCE AND DESIGNS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SUPPORT AND REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
DREAM GIRL
Female Singapore

DREAM GIRL

IN RECENT YEARS, THE CELEBRITIES WHO’VE DOMINATED MUCH OF WESTERN POP CULTURE SEEM TO FALL INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES: THE OTT, THE SCANDAL-PLAGUED AND THE UNTOUCHABLE GODDESS TYPES HAIL QUEEN BEY). THE FAST-RISING GEN Z JAZZ-POP CHANTEUSE LAUFEY PRONOUNCED LAY-VAY”) 1S A NEW AND DIFFERENT KIND OF STAR ALTOGETHER: ONE WHO UNABASHEDLY WEARS HER HEART ON HER SLEEVE, ESPOUSES WHOLESOME VALUES AND READS BOOKS WITH HER FANS. KENG YANG SHUEN DELVES INTO HER SPECIAL KIND OF MAGIC.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
Mind Your Own Business
Female Singapore

Mind Your Own Business

Yang Shuen Meets The Founders Of Art Again, An Online Platform That Puts Not Only A Chic, Consumer-to-consumer Spin On The Secondary Art Market, But Also Power Back Into The Hands Of Art Collectors.

time-read
8 mins  |
January - February 2024
NEW WORLD PLAZA
Female Singapore

NEW WORLD PLAZA

ITS SHUTTERS COME DOWN FOR GOOD ON JAN 27, BUT PEACE CENTRE HAS LIVED OUT SOME OF ITS BEST DAYS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS AS A HAVEN FOR INDEPENDENT CREATIVES AND EVERYDAY ART-GOERS, THANKS TO THE UNCONVENTIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECT KNOWN AS PLAYPAN. IMRAN JALAL MEETS SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE FOUND A HOME, HOPE AND INSPIRATION IN A DOOMED MALL.

time-read
8 mins  |
January - February 2024
A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
Female Singapore

A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

IT SURE SEEMS LIKE AN EMPOWERING TIME TO BE STUDYING THE ARTS. THIS AUGUST, THE FIRST GOVERNMENT-BACKED PRIVATE ARTS UNIVERSITY HERE, THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS SINGAPORE, WILL WELCOME ITS INAUGURAL COHORT. ACCORDING TO THE STRAITS TIMES IN A SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORT, OUR COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN ARTS EDUCATION, WHILE THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL’S LATEST POPULATION SURVEY ON THE ARTS SHOWED CONSISTENT GROWTH IN INTEREST IN THE SECTOR AND AT LEAST TWO-THIRDS OF SINGAPOREANS RECOGNISING THE BENEFITS OF ARTS AND CULTURE ON THE COMMUNITY. ULTIMATELY THOUGH, PURSUING THE ARTS AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE REMAINS NICHE THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND YOUTH’S SINGAPORE CULTURAL STATISTICS STUDY IN 2022 SHOWED YEAR-ON-YEAR DIPS IN FULL-TIME ENROLMENT IN TERTIARY ARTS COURSES BETWEEN 2016 AND 2021). HERE, SEVEN YOUTHS SHARE THEIR INTENTIONS, ASPIRATIONS AND LESSONS LEARNT IN HAVING EMBARKED ON THIS PATH LESS CHOSEN.

time-read
6 mins  |
January - February 2024
OPEN HOUSE
Female Singapore

OPEN HOUSE

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FELT LIKE THEY LACK THE SPACE AND FREEDOM TO BRING TO LIFE THEIR CREATIVE AMBITIONS, THERE NOW COULD BE A PLACE FOR YOU: LOCATED IN SCENIC JAPAN, RUN BY A SINGAPOREAN COUPLE WHO HAVE ARTISTIC SKILLS YOU COULD TAP, AND THAT COMES AT NO COST AND WITH NO EXPECTATIONS. KENG YANG SHUEN FINDS OUT MORE FROM THE FOLKS BEHIND THIS UTOPIA.

time-read
6 mins  |
January - February 2024
BTS REMIX
Female Singapore

BTS REMIX

FOR ITS LATEST ENTRY AT DESIGN MIAMI, THE HOUSE OF FENDI TEAMS UP WITH A WITTY DESIGN STUDIO OFTEN DESCRIBED AS \"ANTI-FASHION\" TO REVEAL A DIFFERENT SIDE TO IT AND LUXURY ALTOGETHER. NOELLE LOH REPORTS.

time-read
3 mins  |
January - February 2024