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Zach Relph and Shannon Verhagen, SOUTH WESTERN TIMESSouth Western Times Bunbury teenager Mehalah Ward will take on the biggest challenge of her short modelling career when she headlines the
catwalk as the 'face' of this year's South West Fashion Festival.Video: South Western Times journalist Shannon Verhagen caught up with Mehalah on the eve of the launch of the
festival. The 15-year-old will be the focal point of the region's premier fashion event which starts this evening at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre. Mehalah is set to open
every runway parade at this year's festival, showcasing extravagant dresses from acclaimed brands Empire Rose, Lulu and Vee, Betty Tran and more.Mehalah said she was excited to be the
face of the festival given the success of previous faces Courtney Eaton and Shakira Marlan, who have both forged successful modelling careers following their stints. "It is going to
bring about a lot of potential opportunities in the modelling industry," she said. Mehalah said the thought of a modelling career was exciting, but it was something she did not want to
pursue full-time just yet. "Education is my priority, so if the modelling does take-off, I might have to subdue it a bit until my schooling career is a little less intense," she
said. Mehalah described herself as a "country girl" but said she had enjoyed the glamour of the modelling shoots leading up to the festival. "It has been really good fun to
get out there and do something that I'm not used to," she said. The South West Fashion Festival opens with a runway at BREC starting at 6.30pm today. Check out the full program in
this week's South Western Times pullout. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails