MANILA, Philippines — Prior to the candidates' arrival in New Orleans, all 84 delegates were given identical Liva Fluid Fashion capes, which they were to design themselves, or through a collaboration with a local artist, with figures/symbols around a cause(s) that they espoused.
The cape served as a blank canvas for the delegates to tell the audience who they were and what they wanted to put across. The message(s) could either be personal, national, or global in scope.
Like the sustainable sashes they were wearing, the textile of the capes came from fibers of natural origin. After the final show, all the capes will be presented in an auction, with proceeds going to the Miss Universe Organization's selected charities.
Donning their Liva Fluid Fashion capes and Maureen footwear from Jojo Bragais, all 84 delegates showcased their pasarela skills in the swimwear of their choice. We chose 16 candidates who we thought slayed the catwalk the best.
Leading the race is the Philippines' Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi who glided through the assigned spaces with effortless ease. Her months of training truly paid off.
Other standouts in this category, in alphabetical order, are:
- Swelia da Silva Antonio (Angola)
- Kiara Arends (Aruba)
- Monique Riley (Australia)
- Maria Fernanda Aristizabal (Colombia)
- Andreina Martinez (Dominican Republic)
- Alba Isabel Obama Moliko (Equatorial Guinea)
- Irma Cristina Miranda Valenzuela (Mexico)
- Solaris Barba (Panama)
- Telma Madeira (Portugal)
- Ashley Cariño (Puerto Rico)
- Ndavi Nokeri (South Africa)
- Anna Sueangam-iam (Thailand)
- Viktoria Apanasenko (Ukraine)
- R'bonney Gabriel (USA)
- Amanda Dudamel (Venezuela)
Hosted by Randi Rousseau and outgoing queen Haarnaz Sandhu, the 71st Miss Universe preliminary competition was beamed live through the Miss Universe Organization's channels on Facebook and YouTube, and via the Lazada app in the Philippines.
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