Akuonuo Khezhie: Life on....beyond the ramps & catwalks

She has featured in many prestigious ramps and won several titles before she set foot into one of the fashion capitals of the world: New York; and eventually walked the prestigious New York Couture Week, the New York Fashion Week and the Chocolate Runway Show, New York among several others.

But Akuonuo Khezhie, who turned a supermodel despite the fact that she professionally joined modeling only during the later part of 2006, confesses that she was probably the most unlikely candidate for the profession due to her tomboyish attitude. However, she says that participating in Miss India taught her the necessary skills needed to pursue a career in modeling.

She did Nagaland proud by winning the Femina Fresh Face of 2007, after having deservingly won beauty contest titles such as Miss Kohima, Miss Nagaland and Miss North East India respectively. The political science graduate from Delhi University however recalls that modeling was never part of her plan. Looking back however, she says with conviction, “I know for certain there isn’t a profession that I would rather have chosen. My journey to where I am today was a struggle but it has also given me the strength to be independent, responsibility to choose what I believe in and most importantly, it gave me financial independence.”

While she was modeling in India, she admits, “there were times I wondered if life would have been better had I chosen to follow my father’s dream of life in the IAS but after I got the contract in New York, I knew I did the right thing.” Speaking of which, the latest adventure in her career had unmistakably been New York where she lived her contract with the Ikon Model Management.

Well, having gained enriching experiences from the city of fashion, she is back to where she grew up to further promote what she truly believes in. The Northeast India

Academy of Performing Arts (NIAPA), which also put up an impressive fashion night during the Hornbill Festival is her brainchild even as she talks about the beginning and goes on to say, “Northeast India has always been a hub for creative thinking and talent, however, due to various reasons, have not been able to generate enough interest among the youth to follow their dreams and choose entertainment as a career.

NIAPA was started to act as a platform for these talented people to enhance their skills and to offer them an opportunity to showcase their creativity.”

Expressing that, “we also plan to inculcate in the youth, qualities of integrity, compassion and discipline”, she further adds that “NIAPA aspires to promote entertainment as an art and to encourage youth to live up to their creativity.”

She had also showcased a wedding collection at the NIAPA Fashion Night. This collection, she says was an experiment. “We felt the need to display a wedding collection only because it has a big market here so a career in designing may not be in the cards at the moment but I still intend to continue my profession as a model”, she enlightens when asked about venturing into designing.

Understandably, it’s a little disappointing for her to know that there are just a handful of shows that are organized every year even as she explains that, it becomes impossible for the local models to earn a livelihood that is dependent solely on modeling.

But the hope in her illuminates as she expresses that ‘however, over the years we are seeing some changes’ and goes on to observe that “the standards have definitely gone up with so many talented designers now doing well nationally and internationally.”

“I see this trend only getting better with time. It’s come a long way but there’s still a long way to go….” She puts across even as she strongly feels that one area they could move into is ‘Production houses’. “Then designers who cannot afford their own manufacturing unit can start working there and it could also be a hub for models to find work”, she shares.

One could say she is highly successful, but for her, the word ‘successful’ differs for each individual. So, what according to her is success? She believes “success is all about having the right mindset and in that regard I’d say I’m doing alright. I’ve had the privilege of traveling extensively around India and the world, met and interacted with some of the most successful people of this industry. I don’t excel in anything but I’ve learned a lot so I consider myself successful enough.”

She also feels that “the ingredients for being successful would involve careful planning and strong determination. Once we put our minds to it, the sky’s the limit. Or as Mark Twain rightly puts it, “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.””

How much of beauty is essential for a profession like hers? And she is quick to say that “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” even as she goes on to explain, “Like a good friend of mine once said, ‘there are many variants to beauty... nature is beautiful but not everyone can appreciate it’ rightly describes it. Beauty is confidence too. You can’t have outer beauty without that inner confidence. Beauty is essential but more importantly, I feel confidence and professionalism are more important in this career.”

Well, all she hopes for the future is to be helping our youth in finding their place in the world and realizing their dreams. “I struggled a lot to get to where I am today and I want to give to people what I never had, insight and experiences. Just to have someone tell you what to expect and share various experiences goes a long way and would have made my initial experience in the industry much easier”, she says.

Then, with gratefulness, she goes back to recalling how it all started for her and profoundly states, “if there was a beginning I’d say it all started with my participation in beauty pageants, in particular, the Miss India. It gave me a platform and exposure to the industry for me to start my career in modeling.”

One may see all glitz and glamour in the world of a supermodel but when asked to describe a typical day, she expresses, “Beyond all the ‘glamor’ my work may take me, I’d enjoy a day off like any other person would, which I’d spend in the quiet confines of home or spending the day with family or friends.”

She wanted to be everything and anything under the sun as a child- “From an engineer, like my father, to a doctor or a teacher and for sometime, even a nun like the nuns in my school” but she has eventually found her destination and if there is any advice she would give it to the youth, it can be no better put than what comes from the heart- “You are what you stand up for. Follow your heart and dream big.”