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Meet the Jury of the 2020 Vogue Fashion Prize, Powered By NEOM

jury, 2020 Vogue Fashion Prize, powered by NEOM

The jury of the 2020 Vogue Fashion Prize, powered by NEOM

With its return this month, the 2020 Vogue Fashion Prize, powered by NEOM, once again offers the opportunity for emerging designers to showcase their work on a global scale. This is made possible by a jury comprising some of the industry’s most talented and successful professionals, who know first-hand what it takes to break through in the fashion world.

From critiquing and advising to judging, these 10 jury members are set to closely review the work submitted by the Fashion Prize applicants and select winners from a pool of womenswear (ready-to-wear or couture), accessories, jewelry, and menswear designers. Returning with its biggest edition ever, the Fashion Prize will award the winning designers substantial financial grants, retail opportunities, editorial/press, marketing, and mentorship, collectively representing nearly US $500,000 in value. The winning designer will receive placement on Net-a-Porter. What’s more: all 2020 finalists will be present at an exclusive Fashion Prize showroom during Paris Fashion Week in March 2021.

Read on below to know all about the jury of the 2020 Vogue Fashion Prize.

Manuel Arnaut
Editor-in-chief, Vogue Arabia

Manuel Arnaut

Manuel Arnaut. Photo: Ethan Mann

Manuel Arnaut began his career at Vogue Portugal, where over a period of seven years he interviewed fashion’s leading figures, such as Tom Ford, Peter Dundas, Marc Jacobs, Emanuel Ungaro, and Diane von Fürstenberg. After a three-year stint at GQ Portugal, where he held the position of editor, Arnaut moved to Dubai to successfully launch Architectural Digest Middle East. Within a short period of time, Arnaut secured covers with international icons such as Zaha Hadid, Donatella Versace, and Elie Saab, and was granted exclusive access to royal palaces from across the Gulf, in an unprecedented regional coup. Arnaut is active in philanthropic work in the region: while at Architectural Digest Middle East, he organized charity events to benefit Dubai Cares and Unicef MENA.

Arnaut has also contributed to some of the world’s top publications, including the Brazilian editions of Vogue and GQ, Architectural Digest Mexico, Madame Figaro (Maxima), and Wallpaper. Aside from fashion and writing, music is one of the accomplished cellist’s passions.

HH Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud
Fashion Commission, Saudi Ministry of Culture

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud. Photo: Supplied

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud joined the Ministry of Culture in June 2019. Princess Noura advises the Ministry on developing strategies for the fashion sector in the Kingdom, building local and international partnerships with fashion institutions, and developing Saudi talent in fashion.

An entrepreneur and businesswoman, she began her career in 2009 in the US, and in 2015 she co-founded a talent and lifestyle company. In 2017, she founded the Global Fashion House, a fashion consultancy firm based in Riyadh. In April 2018, Princess Noura organized the first Saudi fashion week, in which international and local stakeholders and designers participated. Since then, she has been recognized as an expert and pioneer in the fashion industry. Princess Noura graduated from Effat University in Jeddah with a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing, and a master’s degree in international business with a Japanese perspective from Rikkyo University in Tokyo. She worked on the launch of the Saudi Fast Growth 100 program, part of All World Network, an entrepreneurship organization co-founded by Michael Porter of Harvard Business School.

Katie Trotter
Fashion director, Vogue Arabia

Katie Trotter

Katie Trotter. Photo: Supplied

Upon graduating with a first class honors degree in fashion design and business studies, Katie Trotter worked in the design studio of the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Working on some of his most iconic shows, such as Deliverance and Pantheon as Lecum, she developed a deep understanding of the design process and the power of imagery to evoke emotion. It was here that she began to explore the collision between fashion and art. Trotter has worked as a director in global luxury titles worldwide for the past 15 years, helping to spearhead teams to international acclaim within print and advertising, specializing in photography, film, and storytelling.

Prior to taking on the role of fashion director at Vogue Arabia in 2017,  Trotter was content director for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, where she brought her expertise to 360-degree commercial ventures and special projects. Most recently, during her tenure at Vogue Arabia, Trotter has collaborated with photographers such as Peter Lindbergh and Patrick Demarchelier, bridging the gap between regional and international fashion conversations.

Livia Firth
Founder, Eco-Age and sustainability editor-at-large, Vogue Arabia

Livia Firth

Livia Firth. Photo: Supplied

Livia Firth is the co-founder and creative director of Eco-Age, the founder of the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC), as well as the sustainability editor-at-large at Vogue Arabia. She is renowned for creating compelling frameworks and campaigns for environmental and social justice with global reach. A founding member of Annie Lennox’s The Circle, a powerful women’s advocacy group, she recently presented the findings of The Circle’s Living Wage report to the EU Commission. Firth is a UN Leader of Change and has also been recognized with the UN Fashion 4 Development Award and the Rainforest Alliance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability.

Angelica Cheung
Editor-in-chief, Vogue China

Angelica Cheung

Angelica Cheung. Photo: Supplied

Upon joining Condé Nast China as the editor-in-chief of Vogue China in 2005, Angelica Cheung spearheaded the launch of the publication and for the past 15 years, has led its growth to international acclaim. Led by Cheung, Vogue China has risen with unprecedented speed to become one of the biggest and most influential Vogue editions. In 2016, Cheung introduced Vogue Me, a new bimonthly publication and digital platform targeted at the young, digitally active generation. In addition, Cheung also oversees all the digital platforms, including the website, social media channels, and the trendsetting mobile app Vogue Mini, which launched in 2015, successfully introducing the brand to the next generation through digital media.

Cheung graduated from Beijing (Peking) University with degrees in law and English language and literature, and has an MBA degree from the University of South Australia. Before becoming editor-in-chief of Vogue China, Cheung was previously the editorial director of Elle China, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire Hong Kong, associate publisher of Hong Kong English-language fashion magazine B International, and the launch executive editor of English-language daily newspaper Hong Kong iMail.

Amina Muaddi
Founder and creative director, Amina Muaddi

Amina Muaddi

Amina Muaddi. Photo: Pierre-Ange Carlotti

Growing up in Jordan, Romania, and Italy, Amina Muaddi developed an eye for what tastemakers around the world truly want – that perfect blend of effortless glamour, impeccable craftsmanship, and fashion-forward style. After studying at the European Institute of Design in Milan and styling stints for L’Uomo Vogue and GQ US, she found that designing shoes was the perfect expression of her creative vision. She challenged herself to learn her new trade from the essentials, taking off to the Riviera del Brenta, Italy’s storied shoe-making district. There, she worked with world-class artisans and suppliers to develop each and every one of her shoes’ 40-50 components. She co-founded her first shoe brand, Oscar Tiye, in Milan, then moved to Paris, where she collaborated with French couturier Alexandre Vauthier on the launch of his eponymous shoe line, which she designs to this day. At the end of 2019, Muaddi was commissioned by Rihanna to design the footwear for her brand Fenty. Today, she’s turned her focus to her greatest project: Amina Muaddi the brand – designed in Paris, produced in Italy, with an international heart.

Mohammed Ashi
Founder and creative director, Ashi Studio

Mohammed Ashi

Mohammed Ashi. Photo: Supplied

From a young age, Saudi-born Mohammed Ashi was passionate about art, enrolling in art classes before moving to the US to continue his university studies. After graduating with a qualification in marketing, he moved to Paris to attend fashion school. A year later, he decided to move to Beirut and began attending the prestigious fashion school Esmod, graduating with an honorary degree. After interning for one year at some of Paris’s renowned fashion houses, he moved back to Beirut in 2007 to launch his eponymous label, Ashi Studio. Since its launch, the label’s sole purpose has been empowering people, by creating designs that fit around their life, rather than imposing a style or dictating a taste. Now based in Paris, he has gained rapid global recognition – Hollywood stars are particular fans. Aiming to garner praise in timeless and modern elegance, his designs present a classic update for the greatest codes of fashion.

Elizabeth von der Goltz
Global buying director, Net-a-Porter

Elizabeth von der Goltz

Elizabeth von der Goltz. Photo: Supplied

Elizabeth von der Goltz was born in New York and grew up in Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong. Her first role was at Barneys in 1997, where she started as an assistant buyer for private label Ronald van der Kemp. After three years, she was promoted to associate buyer for Co-Op, then to sportswear buyer.

In 2000, Von der Goltz joined Bergdorf Goodman at the start of its modernization as the first-ever designer buyer. After a two-year sabbatical, Von der Goltz returned to Bergdorf in 2003 as their couture buyer. Under her direction, she grew its top brands up to four times in sales volume, while also nurturing many smaller brands to become significant businesses, including Jason Wu, Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra, and Cushnie et Ochs. During her 14-year tenure at Bergdorf, she oversaw the development of an eveningwear area, and was instrumental in the planning and execution of a major renovation across many floors, including modern designer sportswear and fine jewelry and watches. In June 2017, Von der Goltz moved to London to join Net-a-Porter as global buying director, where she now oversees a team of up to 50 buyers across all categories.

Farida Khelfa
International fashion model and filmmaker

Farida Khelfa

Farida Khelfa. Photo: Tom Munro

Born in Lyon to Algerian parents, Farida Khelfa grew up in the suburbs surrounded by eight brothers and sisters. Aspiring to a different kind of life, she left for Paris when she was a teenager.

Her personality, allure, silhouette, and beauty, far removed from the aesthetics of her era, defined her as a young woman who nobody could ignore. In 1979, Jean Paul Gaultier noticed her and asked her to partake in his fashion show. This first catwalk experience jump-started her modeling career. After that, she was often present on the runways of the most talented designers of that generation, including Azzedine Alaïa and Thierry Mugler. Meanwhile, she worked at the Bains-Douches, where she decided who could enter the nightclub. This is when she met Jean-Paul Goude, who considered her his muse. The photographs they produced together quickly became legendary.

Inspired by all these experiences, Khelfa involved herself in the cinema as early as 1985. Her career as an actor and a model ended in 1995 when she decided to join Alaïa’s design studio. In 2002, she became the head of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Haute Couture salons. In 2004, Khelfa became once again independent. She went back to the world of cinema. She was filmed by Alain Robbe-Grillet, Julian Schnabel, Cédric Klapisch, and Catherine Breillat. In May 2012, Khelfa became the House of Schiaparelli’s ambassador. As with fashion, where she worked first as a model, then with designers, in 2010 she switched from acting to film direction. Her first documentary showcased the success story of Gaultier. Others film projects have looked at vast subjects from the artistic youth of Tunisia after the revolution to the French presidential campaign of 2012.

Jean Paul Gaultier
Fashion designer

Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier. Photo: Peter Lindbergh

Born in a Parisian suburb in 1952, Jean Paul Gaultier started his career with Pierre Cardin in 1970, on the day of his 18th birthday. After working at Esterel, Patou, and again at Cardin, Gaultier decided to start his own fashion house and staged his first show in Paris in 1976. Critical and commercial success quickly followed and by the early 80s, he was one of the most talked about young designers.

From the outset, Gaultier wanted to show that beauty has many facets and that we can find it where we least expect it, like in a lowly tin can, which first became a bracelet and later the packaging for his hugely successful perfume. His menswear line was launched in 1984 with the Male Object collection and in 1997, Gaultier realized his dream of starting an haute couture collection with Gaultier Paris. He was also the designer for Hermès womenswear from 2004 to 2011. In 2015, Gaultier decided to stop his ready-to-wear line and continue with haute couture.

Throughout his career, Gaultier has worked in dance, music, and cinema. His costumes for Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour have left an indelible imprint on popular culture. His first collaboration in cinema was with Peter Greenaway for The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover in 1989. He also designed costumes for The City of Lost Children (1995) by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet and The Fifth Element (1997) by Luc Besson, and has worked on three films with Pedro Almodóvar: Kika (1993), Bad Education (2004), and The Skin I Live In (2011).

In January this year, Gaultier presented his last haute couture show, celebrating 50 years of fashion at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Read Next: The Vogue Fashion Prize is Back! Powered by NEOM and Bigger Than Ever

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