At last year’s Audi Fashion Festival (AFF), Jack Ong (left) was just one of the many nattily dressed attendees in the crowd.

However, his striking features and arresting attire stood out enough to land him a spot in Urban’s Hey Good-looking column.

At this year’s AFF, the 21-year-old lad, who has just finished his national service, may well be moving on to bigger, better things – he may be one of the estimated 90 models who will walk in AFF fashion shows.

It all started when he attended the open casting call held two weeks ago at Clarke Quay to sniff out fresh faces with catwalk potential for the AFF.

The casting call was split into two parts – a street casting for newbies and amateur models, and a casting for professional models signed on with seven top modelling agencies.

Ong was the only one out of the 25 hopefuls who attended the first part to make the cut.

“I felt the casting call would help me gain more exposure,” says Ong, who began working as a freelance model last December. To date, he has been featured in editorial shoots for Female magazine and car magazine Hotstuff.

Ong was recruited by modelling agency Zunion last month.

“He is tall, has great skin, camera-friendly facial features and a clothes-hanger physique,” says Zee Chia, 31, the founder of Zunion.

“He also has a great personality, which is essential for making it as a model.”

He will be walking in two shows for Star Creation, a regional competition for young fashion designers.

Top on the list of things Ong has already learnt during his short time in the industry is how to take criticism well. “I’ve had people ask me to exercise more to tone up. Rejection hurts but I’ve learnt not to take it personally.”

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.