Photo: Courtesy Fashion Trust Arabia
Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) has just dropped the exciting news. The FTA 2023 Advisory Board had the crucial role of choosing 20 talented designers from a pool of applicants in the region, and has now revealed the list of talented designers who’ve made it to the final round for the FTA 2023 Awards — from Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria, and more. The finalists will be showcasing their work to the FTA Jury in Doha on October 25, 2023. So, mark your calendars — we will soon be finding out who the six winners are during the FTA 2023 Awards ceremony. Here are the finalists for this year’s FTA 2023 Awards:
Ready-to-Wear Award:
Ahmed Amer (Lebanon)
Elise Testot (Syria)
Sarah Alhamdan (Saudi Arabia)
Zeid Hijazi (Jordan)
Eveningwear Award:
Amir Al Kasm (Syria)
Cynthia Merhej (Lebanon)
Sara Chraibi (Morocco)
Yassmin Saleh (Lebanon)
Jewelry Award:
Anas Alomaim (Kuwait)
Katarina Tarazi (Lebanon)
Nour Ben Cheikh & Clémentine Lecointre (Tunis)
Shereen Shawky (Egypt)
Accessories Award:
Amel Batita (Algeria)
Dina Baheir (Egypt)
Omar Taha & Lily Max (Egypt)
Oubadah Nouktah (Syria)
Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award:
Adam Alaoui Elyasse (Morocco)
Amina Galal (Egypt)
Batoul Omar al-Rashdan (Jordan)
Maïssane Nour Zinaï (Algeria)
This year, Fashion Trust Arabia has also extended a special invitation to Nigeria as a guest country. Under this category, the four selected Nigerian designers will undergo the same judging process as other finalists. The finalists are:
Guest Country Award
Adeju Thompson
Iniye Tokyo James
Kenneth Ize
Nkwo Onwuka
Year after year, Fashion Trust Arabia is leading the way towards a brighter future for creatives in the MENA region with its groundbreaking initiative. Held under the patronage of HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser as honorary chair, and co-chairs HE Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Tania Fares, FTA offers financial awards and top-notch industry mentorship to talented designers who are poised for the global stage. It’s the first of its kind in the region, providing a vital boost to design talent close to home.
Winning designers are awarded $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the size of their business, whereas the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award and Guest Country Award winners each receive a cash prize of $25,000. In addition to the awards, the winners in the Ready-to-Wear, Accessories, and Jewelry categories will embark on a one-year mentorship journey with Matches. Matches will also feature their collections for a season. As for the evening-wear category winner, Harrods will proudly showcase the winner’s creations. As for the awards ceremony itself, after last year’s turnout (which included the likes of Bella Hadid, Yasmine Sabri, Tara Emad, Huda Kattan, Farida Khelfa, Sabrina Elba, Ed Westwick, Anna Dello Russo, Halima Aden and Paula Abdul, to name a few), we can also guarantee that this year’s FTA celebration will be a star-studded affair.
