Supermodel Naomi Campbell has not only put her name to the The Face, but she's used her industry ties to help give credence to the model search series.
A bit like a model backing a brand of a major cosmetic company, Campbell has done the same with The Face which launches on Fox8 on March 18.
She's roped in photographers and attracted big international companies to support the Australian version of the series following successful productions in the UK and US.
The carrot on offer is a contract to be brand ambassador and the face of a new skincare range, by US cosmetic giant Olay, to be launched in Australia.
"I wanted it to be authentic and to be about what my business is about and what I have known it to be about," Campbell told AAP.
The eight episode series, which is hosted by acclaimed Australian fashion photographer Georges Antoni, launches with two dozen models vying for 12 places.
Almost all of the contestants are signed with agencies and have modelling experience.
The final 12 are split into three teams of four to be mentored by either Campbell or Australian models Nicole Trunfio and Cheyenne Tozzi.
The three teams face off in challenges and the winning team of each task is granted immunity for that week.
The mentor's of each losing side must put up one of their own models up for elimination and whether they stay or are eliminated is decided by the mentor of the winning team.
It's an emotionally charged series for the young models who regularly tear-up.
Campbell says The Face has credibility within the modelling world and it's why she has put her name to it.
"It's great when I can get photographers, who I have worked with since I was sixteen, to be on board and get brands and the designers as well to be in the show," Campbell said.
"What's great is the people in the industry like this show so I want to keep the integrity and at an authentic level."
The winning team for each challenge is rewarded with work and not just passage through to the next round or photos for their own portfolio.
For instance, one teams wins a major photo spread in the glossy women's magazine Marie Claire.
Campbell admits there is a lot of tough love on set for which she makes no apologies.
She said her role, and that of Trunfio's and Tozzi's, is to develop the young talent and bring the best out of them.
Sending them home is not easy, but it's part of the process to find a worthy winner.
"You see the transition of the finalists, from the beginning to the end, and that's what this is all about," she said.
"Then you get their letters and hear from their parents about how they changed when they got home.
"For me, it makes it all worth it."
* The Face launches on Tuesday, March 18 on Fox8 at 9pm.
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