Fashion Trust Arabia Announces Winners At 2021 FTA Prize

Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) hosted its third annual FTA 2021 Prize today in Doha, Qatar, at the National Museum.

Guests including international and MENA region celebrities, press and VIPs gathered together to celebrate 5 designer winners, in a ceremony presented by model Irina Shayk and Al Jazeera TV presenter Fairouz Ziane.

FTA Founder Tania Fares welcomed guests alongside Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums and Co-Chair of Fashion Trust Arabia, under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mossa Bint Nasser.

The winners were selected by the FTA Jury, a prestigious group of industry heavyweights, during today’s Judging Day at the M7 culture space in Doha. The 24 designer finalists presented their collections to the Jury, and competed for the following award categories: Ready-to-Wear, Eveningwear, Accessories (Shoes & Handbags), Jewellery, Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award and this year’s newly introduced Guest Country Award, which was in partnership with Colombia.

Each winner will receive financial support of up to $200,000, and benefit from an extensive mentorship program with key FTA partners.  This includes a special partnership with retailer MATCHESFASHION, which will be stocking exclusively on its website all FTA 2021 winners, in addition to providing business mentorship.

THE WINNERS

FTA is proud to announce the winners of this year’s FTA 2021 Awards:

• Zaid Affas, Ready-to-Wear designer winner
• Alia Bin Omair, Jewellery designer winner
  
• Port Tanger (by Bilal Fellah,) Accessories designer winner
• Benchellal (by Mohamed Benchellal,) Eveningwear designer winner
  
• El Tayeb Nation (by Abdelgarder El Tayeb), Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award  
• A New Cross (by Agustin Nicolas Rivero), Guest Country Award
  

Fashion Trust Arabia would like to thank the immense support of its Jury and Advisory Board members, especially in these challenging times, without whom FTA’s mission would not be possible.

FTA 2021 JURY

Alex Israel, Artist; Alexa Chung, Fashion Designer; Azza Fahmy, Jewellery Designer; Carine Roitfeld, Founder & Creative Director, CR Fashion Book; Casey Cadwallader, Creative Director, Mugler; Elie Saab, Fashion Designer; Francesca Amfitheatrof, Artistic Director Watches & Jewellery, Louis Vuitton; Gherardo Felloni, Creative Director, Roger Vivier; Haider Ackermann, Fashion Designer; Juergen Teller, Photographer; Laura Brown, InStyle USA Editor-in-Chief; Lorraine Schwartz, Jewellery Designer; Natalia Vodianova, Philanthropist; Pierpaolo Piccioli, Creative Director, Valentino; Remo Ruffini, Chairman & CEO, Moncler; Sandra Choi, Creative Director, Jimmy Choo; Virgil Abloh, Creative Director, Louis Vuitton and Off-White; Zerina Akers, Costume Designer & Stylist; Zuhair Murad, Fashion Designer.

FTA 2021 Advisory Board

Alex Fury, Editorial Director AnOther; Alastair McKimm, Editor-in-Chief; Afef Jnifen, Alexia Niedzielski, Co-Founder & Co Editor-in-Chief SYSTEM; Carmen Busquets, Entrepreneur & Investor; Elizabeth von der Goltz, Chief Commercial Officer MATCHESFASHION; Fabio Piras, MA Fashion Course Director Central St Martins; Hamish Bowles, Global Editor-at-Large Vogue US; Ib Kamara, Editor-in-Chief DAZED; Jefferson Hack, Co-Founder Dazed Media; Johanna Ortiz, Fashion Designer; Law Roach, Celebrity Stylist; Mohieb Dahabieh, Nina Garcia, Editor-in-Chief ELLE USA; Roger Moukarzel, Photographer; Patti Wilson, Stylist; Saif Mahdhi, Founder, SAFE Management; Sara Sozzani Maino, Deptuy Editor, Vogue Italia; Sofia Guellaty, Editor-in-Chief; Sarah Andelman, Creative Consultant.

ABOUT FASHION TRUST ARABIA

FTA is a non-profit initiative launched in 2018 under the patronage of HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser as honorary chair, with co-chairs HE Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and Tania Fares.

The first initiative of its kind in the Arab world, FTA was originally created to provide financial support, guidance and mentorship to emerging designers in the MENA region. The organization has become so much more: a platform of opportunity through which every talented Arab designer can grow and receive international recognition.

Each year the FTA jury is responsible for selecting 5 winners out of 24 finalists. Each winner receives a grant of up to $200,000 and a year of invaluable business mentorship and training relating to sustainable practices. This includes a special partnership with the retailer MATCHESFASHION, which in addition to providing mentorship the collections of the winners, offering them access to global markets. The retailer has also been providing the FTA winners with business mentorship.

Fashion Trust Arabia has expanded by launching FTA Pulse and the fashion database Directory, invaluable resources assisting in shining the spotlight on the Arab fashion world’s luminaries through features, interviews, and company information.

By exploring local culture, regional trends and the latest innovations, Fashion Trust Arabia now showcases a never-before-seen panorama of the Arab fashion scene, while simultaneously highlighting the sector’s great global significance.

www.fashiontrustarabia.com