Model walk-offs at club Volar: Hong Kong’s newest sport?

Volar, one of Hong Kong’s top clubs, holds a model industry night called ‘Image’ on the last Monday of every month. In March, in a bid to add some sass and excitement to the night, they introduced a model walk-off competition titled “Image’s Next Top Model.”

What’s a model walk-off? A walk-off is when models compete to see who has the best strut and attitude when cruising down a runway. Popularized by the movie Zoolander, this addition to the monthly Image party has been wildly well received. While giving new talent an opportunity to stand out, the competition is also fun for spectators.

Last night was the second installment of “Image’s Next Top Model,” and Volar was packed! The competition began at 11, and since Tuesday was a public holiday (and Pravda vodka was offering free drinks,) the place was unusually jammed early on. Curious about the competition? Check out the photos and video!

With the competition about to begin, the crowd parted to form a narrow corridor, allowing the models to walk along a designated path set up as a ground-level runway. Security guards had their hands full keeping the rowdy crowd in line. The faux-runway weaved its way through the three rooms of the club, which were all full!

The competition comprised of three heats featuring seven girls and three guys. Girls competed against girls, and men against men. Perhaps Hong Kong’s most glamourous spectator sport, the crowd was cheering and hooting each time a model came out. Surprisingly the girls in the audience were less well-behaved than the guys, screaming as if they were at a strip club!

The models competed for prizes such as new mobile phones and awards were given out in several different categories, so there were no (cough) real losers!

The atmosphere was fun and no one took the competition too seriously (but then again, no one removed their underwear while still wearing pants, like in the movie Zoolander – we’ll check back again next month!)