Models participate in the 2015 “New Cover” New Silk Road North Amiercan Fashion Glamour show at the River Rock Theatre in Richmond, British Columbia, on Feb 17. Michelle Gieschen (center) was crowned the “New Cover” model for 2015. CHINA DAILY

Nearly 1,000 people, many from the world of fashion and media, attended the finale of the 2015 "New Cover" New Silk Road North America Fashion Glamour show on Feb 17 at Canada's River Rock Theatre.

The audience was treated to a night of artistic performances that showcased traditional Chinese culture, as well as the 15 finalists who walked across the stage in local designers' day wear collections, swimsuits inspired by traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain art and evening gowns.

The highlight of the evening was the crowning of Michelle Gieschen as the "New Cover" model of 2015.

The event seeks to discover new models in North America, and to promote the integration of Chinese and Western fashion. It brings together young people who are passionate about a career in modeling, regardless of ethnicity and race... The contest has contributed greatly to connecting people and ideas from two sides of the globe. Just as the ancient Silk Road first brought contact between China and the West, the 2015 "New Cover" contest acts as the "new" Silk Road through which modern Chinese culture is introduced to Western countries.

The competition began on November 1, 2014, when more than 200 women registered for the 'New Cover' New Silk Road North America Fashion Glamour contest.

After interviews and online voting, the 15 finalists were chosen. In the past two months they went through training sessions to prepare them to compete for the finale's six awards: the 2015 "New Cover" top three, the "Best Photogenic Model", the "Best Catwalk" and the "Most Popular Model Online".

Fashion Glamour Night opened with a modern ballet performance by the finalists. Dressed in red ballerina dresses, they brought about a festive feeling to the night and drew cheers from the audience at the theater in Richmond, Canada.

Local artists also performed. Dancers from the Cindy Yang Dance Academy showcased the beauty of traditional Chinese culture with the dance Royal Data, and a performance by the Simpson Brothers Band brought vibrancy to the ceremony.

In addition to Gieschen being selected the winner, Emily Beth and Jacqueline Liu were first and second runners-up respectively. Rachel Lee Mandi, Kara Zhang, and Jacqueline Liu won the "Best Photogenic Model", "Best Catwalk" and "Most Popular Model Online" awards respectively.

By winning the 2015 "New Cover" competition, Gieschen automatically qualified for the final of the 2015 New Silk Road Model Contest to be held in China later this year. She is also becoming the first ambassador for CNTVNA.COM's Fashion Channel, as well as being featured in a series of fashion photo shoots and special video projects.

Since the Fashion Glamour Night also coincided with Chinese New Year's Eve, organizers introduced the CCTV Spring Festival Gala – also known as the "spiritual family reunion dinner" in China – to the guests, and invited everyone to see this most-watched annual audio-visual feast.

The 2015 "New Cover" New Silk Road North America Fashion Glamour was organized by CNTV, New Silk Road Modeling Agency, CNTVNA.COM, Orient Star Media Inc. and was presented by J Li. Models. CHMB AM1320, China Daily USA, Sing Tao Media Group, G&E Studio Vancouver Inc, and Live China were co-organizers of this year's event.