Fashion Trust Arabia Champions Emerging MENA Talent with $200,000 Prizes and Global Mentorship
The Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing the next generation of design innovators from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, returning to Doha, Qatar, on Saturday for its seventh edition. Six up-and-coming designers, alongside one international guest winner, were awarded significant cash prizes – ranging up to $200,000 – and invaluable mentorship opportunities at the annual awards ceremony.
Recognizing Regional Excellence
This year’s awards spotlighted a diverse range of talent. Moroccan designer Youssef Drisi secured the ready-to-wear prize for his brand, Late for Work, while Saudi-based Ziyad Albuainain was honored in the evening wear category. Further accolades were given to Morocco’s Leila Roukni, whose label Talel received recognition in accessories, and Paris-based Egyptian Farah Radwan, who claimed the jewelry prize for her brand Fyr.
These four winning designers will each receive a financial grant, scaled between $100,000 and $200,000 based on business size and other relevant factors. Beyond financial support, the FTA will facilitate exposure through retail partnerships with luxury department stores Harrods and Ounass for one season, and provide a year-long mentorship program in collaboration with The Bicester Collection.
Expanding the Circle of Support
The FTA also recognized emerging talent through specialized categories. Bahrain-born, Switzerland-raised designer Alaa Alaradi was named the winner of the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent category, receiving a $50,000 grant. Bahrain’s sister duo, Dalal and Fatema Alkhaja, took home the Fashion Tech Award for their brand, Touchless. Representing the guest country, Indian designer Kartik Kumra, founder of Kartik Research, was presented with this year’s award in partnership with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre.
A distinguished judging panel, comprised of industry luminaries including designers Christian Louboutin, Stefano Pilati, Giambattista Valli, and Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry, alongside supermodels Natalia Vodianova and Gisele Bündchen, Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad, accessories designer Amina Muaddi, and BoF’s Imran Amed, selected the winners.
A Lifetime of Influence Honored
The ceremony also celebrated the enduring legacy of Miuccia Prada, who received the lifetime achievement award. “I’m very happy to take this award mainly because it’s a symbol of cultural exchange and collaboration, and that’s very important,” Prada stated upon accepting the honor.
Investing in Culture and Creativity
FTA co-founder Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani underscored the organization’s broader mission, co-hosting the inaugural Franca Fund Gala on Sunday to raise funds for preventative genomics. The event, held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, honored the late Franca Sozzani, former Vogue Italia editor-in-chief, and was attended by Anna Wintour and Sozzani’s son, Francesco Carrozzini. “Culture has always been important,” Al Thani explained, “When my father came to power, he wanted to revolutionise what culture meant, what art was…and invest in people through arts education, cultural institutions, museums — and you cannot really separate fashion from the art world.”
Al Thani highlighted the interconnectedness of fashion and art, citing London-based designer Erdem Moralioglu, whose brand will be the focus of an exhibition in Qatar next year, as an example. “We’re doing an exhibition here [as Erdem] is celebrating 20 years of his brand… He’s so inspired by art, and always shows his collections at the British Museum. [For my part] I entered fashion through the art world; it’s very much connected, it’s two sides of the same coin.”
Fashion as an Incubator for Talent
The FTA views fashion exhibitions as crucial components of Qatar’s museum programs, not merely as displays of glamour, but as “incubators for talent, craftsmanship and ancestral learning.” This year’s ‘Threads of Impact’ exhibition, curated by Lagos Fashion Week founder Omoyemi Akerele, showcased the work of over 80 past FTA award winners, finalists, and collaborators at Doha’s M7 arts hub.
Ultimately, Al Thani emphasized that the FTA’s goal is “investing in people, empowering them with the sophistication of culture, of arts education,” rather than simply focusing on consumerism.
Founded in 2018 by Qatar’s Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and Lebanon-born Tania Fares, who serves as co-chair, the FTA aims to provide visibility and global support for designers from the MENA region. “Designers from the MENA region are inventive, daring, creative and visionary,” Fares asserted. “The FTA exists to give them visibility and support to travel globally.”
Fares acknowledged the challenges faced by the MENA region in recent years, stating, “The MENA region has gone through one of its hardest chapters in decades. So many of our countries, our people and our creatives have been tested in ways words can’t describe, and yet what continues to move me is the strength of our community, the way our designers keep creating, keep telling our stories and keep reminding the world of who we are.”
Qatar’s significant investments in the luxury fashion sector, including stakes in brands like Valentino and retailers like Printemps, are integral to its broader ambition to establish itself as a regional cultural hub and diversify its economy beyond energy. The FTA stands as a cornerstone of this vision, fostering a vibrant ecosystem for creativity and innovation. .
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