DISCOVERED by Saint International CEO Deiwight Peters, a mere two weeks before the finale of the Fashion Face of the Caribbean, 15-year-old Orneila Edwards defied the odds and walked away with the prestigious title in March.

Edwards beat a competitive field of 50 contestants from Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Martinique to succeed 2009 winner, the Trelawny beauty, Ashane Rose.

Edwards was signed on the spot by Muse Models New York and later earned representation from some of the world’s top agencies such as Elite Paris.

“Orneila has a charming persona that reflects a positive energy and a youthful innocence that appeals to the international fashion model makers. Indeed her body lines, smile and translucent skin were also important traits that made her a winner,” Peters revealed.

The event assembled the most impressive panel of international judges ever for one model competition in Jamaica. These included Wayne Sterling, editorial director for Models.com, Conor Kennedy and Andre Cowan of Muse Models in NY, Tammy Francis from Next Models Worldwide, and Phil McGowan of IMG.

“Saint maintains important relationships with the best agencies and fashion insiders across the globe and it is important that our newest talent get the chance to be exposed to this level of the fashion industry before they take it on,” Peters states.

This past summer, Orneila participated in the model development programme for Muse Models and impressed everyone when she walked a remarkable nine runway shows in her first season. These included Rachel Comey, Verrier, Suno, Timo Wieland, Elise Overland, Custo Barcelona, Marc Jacobs, Dennis Basso, Nathan Jenden.