Photo: Instagram @fashiontrustarabia

Founded in 2018, Fashion Trust Arabia, a non-profit organization, has created a mission to provide financial support and global recognition to emerging designers in the Middle East and North African region. With being the first of its kind, Fashion Trust Arabia has initiated an ‘FTA Prize’, guided by co-founder Tania Fares, co-chair HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani and the organization’s honorary chair HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

While three years strong, each year, the board selects five winning designers who receive a $200,000 check, a one-year partnership with Matchesfashion.com and an exclusive mentorship programme. For the 2021 edition, Fashion Trust Arabia has selected an advisory board that includes the biggest names in the fashion industry, from Nina Garcia to Alexander Fury, Law Roach, and many more, to choose 24 finalists from over 800 applicants. Tania Fares shares, “We received a record number of over 800 applications and had an immense pool of talent this year. We feel that designers and businesses need assistance now more than ever.”

Find the list of finalists for this year’s FTA 2021 Awards below:

Ready-to-Wear Award: Cynthia Merhej (Lebanon), Lama Jouni (Lebanon), Maram Aboul Enein (Egypt), and Zaid Affas (Iraq).

Eveningwear Award: Elie Mizrahi (Lebanon), Harith Hashim (Iraq), Laith Maalouf (Jordan) and Mohamed Benchellal (Morocco). 

Jewellery Award: Alia Bin Omair (UAE), Azza Skhiri Bouchamaoui (Tunisia), Julien Riad Sahyoun (Lebanon) and Tania & Dima Nawbar (Lebanon).

Accessories Award: Billal Fellah (Algeria), Dania Shinkar (Saudi Arabia), Haya Al AbdulKareem (Kuwait), and Zakaria Bendriouich (Morocco).

Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award: AbdelGader El Tayeb Al Sadig (Sudan), Malik Thomas Jalil Kydd (Iraq), Mina Tahir (Egypt), and Roudha Ahmed Almazroei (Qatar).

Co-chair Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani shares, “Even though we are living in uncertain times, we are more committed than ever to supporting talent from the MENA region”.

The winners of the FTA Prize will be announced in November 2021.