JEDDAH – Persil Abaya Shampoo, a German technology product from Henkel has announced that it has started the recruitment of contestants for the re-energized and renewed format of the much-awaited Season 5 of Persil Arwaa Abaya Competition. The recruitment drive to shortlist the contestants for the Season 5 got under way online a fortnight back and on-ground effective last week. As part of the drive, which continues till mid-March 2013, the contestants are being screened across top universities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The recruitment drive will continue across the Gulf as part of Persil's attempt to bring the local and regional talents across the region to the fore and offer them a platform to succeed and showcase their skills and expertise in Abaya designs. The winner of the Season 5 will win an internship with a well-known designer and a scholarship course in one of the most famous design schools. The Persil Arwaa Abaya Competition Season 5 has introduced new mechanics and format – introducing more interactions between the contestants as well as creating new team challenges. Similarly, the jury has been further strengthened with the introduction of top Abaya experts along with Amal Murad in the panel, which will assess the creativity in the various Abaya designs among other criteria. The Persil Arwaa Abaya contest will be telecasted on Sabah Al-Kheir Ya Arab on MBC 1 between 11 AM to 1 PM, effective April 22. Once shortlisted, the contestants will be judged by the jury on the MBC show. Some episodes will involve Arab celebrity appearances and surprise collaborations would be unveiled to make this season truly entertaining, engaging and interactive. Announcing the recruitment drive, Memosh Khawaja, General Manager of Henkel Arabia, said: “The Persil Arwaa Abaya competition has become a major success in the last four years, and we aim to continue this in the 2013 season. This competition has taken Abaya fashion to a totally new level – showcasing the immense talent in store in the region and what better to tap into this than our university students.” He added: ”Ever since we launched our recruitment, we have seen how today's students are way ahead of their time in terms of creativity and how they have translated their ideas into beautiful designs and highlighted the beauty of Abayas on a wider platform, which gives us extreme pleasure on how this initiative is helping Arab women explore their talents and help in enhancing their careers. We are extremely excited with the response among the student community and will continue to visit more universities in the region. This competition has once again proved that it is a unique platform to discover creative Abaya designing talents that will help launch new designs to this special line of fashion.” Those interested to enroll into the competition can register in the application https://www.facebook.com/persilabayaworld. The contestants should be at least 18 years old and should have a know-how on Abaya sketches and designs. Once enrolled, the contestants will be shortlisted by an eminent panel of jury, which includes, apart from Amal Murad, renowned Abaya designers such as the TV personality Lojain Omran, as also a judge representing Zahrat Al Khaleej and Anazahra magazines. The grand finale – choosing the best and most in-vogue Abaya designs in the market which garner positive critic by the jury – will be held in June 2013. — SG
