Nicole Faria

Biography

Nicole Faria Powar (née Faria; born 9 February 1990) is an Indian actress, model and the winner of the Miss Earth 2010 pageant. She is the brand ambassador for various brands including Clean & Clear and Swiss luxury wristwatches, Frédérique Constant. She was featured on international fashion and lifestyle magazine covers, like Elle, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, JFW, Man's World magazine and appeared on the Kingfisher Calendar in 2014. She has made significant contribution in spreading awareness about the detrimental effect of pollution on Rabindra Sarobar Lakes in Kolkata, West Bengal. In January 2018, Nicole received an award from the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind for being the first Indian woman to win the title of Miss Earth 2010. She was one of 112 women honoured as First Ladies of the country for their pioneering achievements after an extensive research process made by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of India.

== Career ==

=== Early career === She entered the world of fashion at the age of fifteen, working in the industry in Delhi, Mumbai, and Colombo, Sri Lanka. Since her international Miss Earth pageant win, she has had opportunities to break into Bollywood. In an interview, when asked how her life has changed after winning the Miss Earth 2010, she replied: "It has changed a lot — drastically. Right after the win, I started getting better work and more work. The quality of work shot up to the stars. And I have met so many new people, so many nice, very warm-hearted people. I have got to travel the world, see more places, get a taste of different cultures and traditions, which is very satisfying for me." She has posed for fashion magazines including Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Vogue. She has walked the ramp in the Lakme Fashion Week, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, and Colombo Fashion Week. In November 2010, Faria was featured in a television commercial made by the HP Personal Systems for its snap-on cover notebooks, called "The Computer is Personal Again" campaign.

=== Femina Miss India 2010 === Nicole won the Miss Earth India title at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2010 beauty pageant in Mumbai. This is a national beauty pageant competition in India, which annually selects three winners to compete internationally. She won along with Manasvi Mamgai, who was crowned Femina Miss India World 2010, and Neha Hinge, who won Femina Miss India International 2010. Faria was crowned by Miss India Earth 2009, Shriya Kishore.

=== Miss Earth 2010 === Faria represented India in the Miss Earth 2010 beauty pageant in Vietnam, and was crowned Miss Earth 2010. She won Miss Talent, the first special award in the 10th Miss Earth pageant. She performed a graceful belly dance that combined Oriental and Middle Eastern styles in an event that raised VND100 million, which was donated to the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross, to support flood victims in the central region of Vietnam. She wore a shimmering white and gold outfit and defeated 84 other finalists. She ended her reign by crowning her successor Olga Álava of Ecuador during the Miss Earth 2011 final's night held in Manila, Philippines on 3 December 2011. Till date, she is the only Miss Earth from India.

=== Show business ===

Faria entered show business as part of her prizes in winning Femina Miss Earth India 2010. She was managed by Shoot Talent Management. She graced the inauguration of the 12th pin-up store of La Senza and the launch of its wild and lacy fierce collection on 26 January 2012 in Mumbai, India. Two weeks after, along with other celebrities in India she graced the seventh anniversary of Cypress, a multi-designer store, and the launching of a label, Aminder Madan. She walked in a fashion show participated in by national and international tennis players ahead of a tournament in March 2012 in Bangalore. She took the ramp in a little black dress which became the highlight of the show. The following day, she cut the ribbon and inaugurated the Popley La Classique boutique in Mumbai. In April 2012, she posed for Vogue Australia with Puerto Rican star Joan Smalls, Australian Shanina Shaik, and Tunisian model Hanaa Ben Abdesslem under the theme "celebration of diversity with a truly beautiful global issue". She was then interviewed by Australia's flag carrier, Qantas and was featured in the inflight magazine Australian Way in its April 2012 issue where she shared her environmental advocacy. In May 2012, she graced the Ramesh Dembla and Vibes Slimming Fashion Show in India as the showstopper in a black outfit and a floral number with a plunging neckline; she then became the surprise of the evening when she took the stage for a belly dance routine.

=== Frédérique Constant === Faria has travelled the world as the global brand ambassador for Frédérique Constant Geneve. A percentage of proceeds from all the watches goes to the International Children's Heart Foundation. Her role as global brand ambassador for the Swiss watch took her to various countries: