FILIPINOS couldn’t be prouder of Filipina-German beauty queen Chantal Schmidt for representing the Philippines in the Miss Eco International 2024 pageant.
Schmidt finished her Miss Eco International journey as first runner-up at the competition’s coronation night, which was held in Egypt on Sunday (Manila time).
It was Angelina Usanova of Ukraine who was crowned as Miss Eco International 2024, besting over 40 candidates to succeed Vietnam’s Nguyen Thanh Ha.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Nikita Dani finished second runner-up, Brazil’s Fabiane Alcarde Goia as third runner-up, and Indonesia’s Valerie Avril as fourth runner-up.
During the question-and-answer portion of the pageant, Schmidt was asked about how she will use her platform as a beauty queen to positively impact her community. The country’s representative replied that she would use her platform to advocate for sustainable fashion.
“I love trends, I love fashion. Fashion is art and fashion tells a story to me. But I also know that fashion is the biggest contributor to pollution nowadays. So as a queen, I pledge to champion and have already championed sustainable fashion by repurposing and reusing and recycling my wardrobe,” she said.
Schmidt lived up to her advocacy by narrating how she had given her old clothes “a new life” during her Miss Eco International journey.
“That is how beauty queens can inspire us to give a better change to the world, to be better, and to strive for a better future,” she said.
Despite not clinching the crown, her fellow Filipinos still congratulated Schmidt for her first runner-up finish. Among those who praised Schmidt’s dedication is The Miss Philippines organization.
“Despite suffering a health setback in your journey, you decided to push on through sheer will and dedication. We couldn’t ask for more,” it said on a Facebook post.
“Congratulations on winning Miss Eco International 2024 1st runner-up, and thank you for representing the country so well, Chantal. You have made us proud, and you will forever be our #MissEcoInternaChantal,” it added.
It can be recalled that Schmidt was rushed to a hospital in Fayoum for vomiting on the morning of the preliminary competition. The beauty queen, who has a phobia of needles, narrated that she received an IV and was laid in the hospital bed. What pushed the beauty queen to fight was her resolve to not return home with “unfinished business,” and fortunate enough, she recovered and continued competing in the pageant.
The Philippines currently has two Miss Eco International titles courtesy of Cynthia Thomalla who won in 2018 and Kathleen Paton who won in 2022.
Other awards
Aside from being the first runner-up, Schmidt also took home two awards: Best in National Costume and Best in Evening Gown.
For her national costume, Schmidt shone in her MassKara Festival-inspired ensemble, featuring vibrant hues of blue and gold and with accents. These colors are inspired by the colors of Egypt, said The Miss Philippines organization.
Bacolod City, known as the “City of Smiles,” is the hometown of Schmidt’s mother. It celebrates the MassKara Festival every fourth Sunday of October.
“It serves as a testament to the community’s determination to overcome difficulties and adversities, aiming to lift the spirits of the locals and bring back smiles to their faces,” the organization said.
For her evening gown, Schmidt strutted the runway in a sultry, fully sequined nude gown with side cutouts and high slit. The gown was made by Val Taguba.
“Thank you for believing in me and dressing me. Since I always go for edgy and high fashion looks, we wanted regal, pageant eleganza. And would you look [at] how that turned out!” the beauty queen said, expressing her gratitude to the designer.
