Show of the Week: The Fashion Hero

The world of TV is well-stocked with fashion series and formats, but where The Fashion Hero is different is it looks beyond the usual supermodel faces and figures on show.

“After over twenty years in the fashion and beauty industries, I’ve learned what was considered the norm and amongst certain wonderful aspects of these industries, I felt there was something missing,” says Caroline Bernier of Beauty World Search, which produces the show.

“I wanted to bring people of all shapes, heights, and ethnicity from across the globe in the spotlight who may not have been noticed before and give them a chance to follow their dreams. From rejected to respected, our goal is to challenge fashion while changing lives.”

The show is presented by Brooke Hogan, daughter of famous wrestler Hulk Hogan. Would-be models from around the world compete against each other to be the face of a major marketing campaign. They are judged by a panel of fashion designers: Anna Scholz from London, Christopher Bates from Milan, and Johana Hernandez and Ximena Valero from LA.

They are mentored throughout the process by a selection of health and beauty experts and industry faces including Rico Genest, the Canadian artist also known as Zombie Boy because of the corpse tattoos that cover his body.

The initial batch of contestants numbered 40, from 21 different countries. The judges then select the most promising and these contestants go through a series of model challenges such as extreme photo shoots and take part in a fashion week style event.

The designers then ultimately choose their ‘Fashion Hero’ and that model becomes the face of an international advertising campaign promoting their brand.

Having picked up the international rights, distributor Looking Glass International is selling the show and will be pushing the format and 8x60mins finished show at MIPCOM next month.

The reality competition series sits alongside the worldwide campaign of the same name, which has set out to change perceptions of beauty and body image.

“This is an international movement born in the digital world and will appeal to many demographics because the participants are normal everyday people that can relate to our message,” Bernier says.

“In comparison with to other fashion TV shows this one is accessible to all. It will appeal to people that are passionate about fashion and those who dream of becoming a model but until now felt that goal was impossible because of unrealistic industry standards. Parents and a wider audience will also love the entertainment and competitive nature of this reality show.”

Brooke Hogan has herself struggled with body image and “not fitting the perfect image of beauty”, Bernier adds, making her the ideal host. With the finished series wrapped, it will launch at MIPCOM and the sales team will be looking beyond the female-skewing cable nets that often show fashion programmes.

“While traditionally programmes in the fashion genre have been broadcast on lifestyle channels, we believe The Fashion Hero is different as there is potential for the programme to appeal to a broader co-viewing audience on general entertainment channels due to the competition elements and the overall message,” Bernier says.

“You don’t need to love fashion to watch the show it’s also a journey about self-acceptance.”

The show: The Fashion Hero
The producer: Beauty World Search
The distributor: Beauty World Search / Looking Glass International
The concept: Reality fashion competition that focuses on real people and looks beyond typical fashion industry ideas of beauty and body image