1 July 2023

Student Valentina Bleckenwegner from Upper Austria and student and fitness trainer Alexander Höfler from Vienna won the titles of Miss Austria and Mister Austria

This week the new faces that will represent the country as Miss Austria and Mister Austria were chosen. The jury of the election, organized by Mission Austria mastermind and owner Kerstin Rigger, consisted of professionals from the modeling, fashion and entertainment industry such as Melisa Raouf, finalist Miss England and Miss England Bare Face winner 2022, musician Lucas Fendrich, organizer of Vienna Fashion Week Elvyra Geyer or photographer & visual artist Stefan Kokovic.

At the event held on June 29 at the Palais Wertheim, student Valentina Bleckenwegner from Upper Austria and student and fitness trainer Alexander Höfler from Vienna were crowned Miss Austria and Mister Austria after competing on the runway first in swimwear, then in casual looks, and in the third and fourth catwalks in fashion by design labels. Among the labels were 'YEYA', founded in 2016 by Jelena Bukvic Atanaskovic (born in Montenegro) with the desire to revitalize the cultural heritage of the Balkans through modern fashion and infuse the unique traditions and culture, and the label 'House of Inner Circus' by Florian Eichner, who studied fashion and design management at the Academy for Fashion and Design in Munich and focuses on the production of sustainable and long-lasting fashion to make a statement against 'fast fashion'.

The winners will receive two cover shoots by Stefan Kokovic and a participation at the MQ Vienna Fashionweek.23, where Mission Austria will present its own show with the label YEYA.

Images, from left: The crown for Miss Austria and the bracelet for Mister Austria were specially designed by Andreas Eberharter, founder of the jewelry label AND_i (article). Right: Miss Austria Valentina Bleckenwegner, Mission Austria mastermind and owner Kerstin Rigger, Mister Austria Alexander Höfler at the election on 29 June 2023 at Palais Wertheim in Vienna. Photos: © Katharina Schiffl.