The Fashion Trust Arabia Awards announced five winners this week for its annual competition to support fashion designers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Designers Omer Asim, Yousef Akbar, Andrea Wazen, Ammanii, and Zeid Hijazi where each selected from a pool of 25 finalists by a jury of fashion industry notables including Olivier Rousteing, Alber Elbaz, Thom Browne, Diane Von Fürstenberg, Christian Louboutin, and Giambattista Valli to name a few.
Ammanii 
Andrea Wazen 
Omer Asim 
Yousef Akbar 
Zeid Hijazi
The program awards each winner $200,000 in support as well as guidance from program mentors. Additionally, each designer will receive additional exposure and the opportunity to sell their Spring 2021 collection on Matchesfashion.com.
What is really inspiring and special about this year’s Awards is how much they highlight the diversity of talent that the MENA region holds. We had the pleasure of meeting such inspiring individuals from 13 Arab countries who, even in the most testing of times, showed their drive, passion and creativity. It was a truly hard decision for our judges to choose just five winners from the list of talented finalists, especially as each and every one of the designers work tirelessly in their respective countries to preserve their culture through design.
– Tania Fares, Fashion Trust Arabia Co-Founder
Due to the state of the world the jury selected the winners via a Zoom conference call and announced the awards digitally opposed to a full event understandably.
Alongside the winning awards, Fashion Trust Arabia is also launching a social media campaign through the hashtag #StandWithCreatives to raise funding to ease the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hashtag spreads awareness of MENA region talent, while building a fund available to MENA designers.
Jury
Aimee Song, Influencer and Best-Selling Author; Alber Elbaz, Fashion Designer; Christian Louboutin, Shoe Designer; Daniel Arsham, Artist; Diane Von Furstenberg, Fashion Designer; Elie Saab, Fashion Designer; Elizabeth Saltzman, Celebrity Stylist; Farida Khelfa, Model; Gaia Repossi, Jewellery Designer; Giambattista Valli, Fashion Designer; Laura Brown, InStyle US Editor- in-Chief; Nabeel Ali Bin Ali, Vice Chairmain & Executive Vice President Galeries Lafayette Doha; Olivier Rousteing, Creative Director, Balmain; Wendi Murdoch, Entrepreneur; Yoon Ambush, Fashion Designer & Dior Homme Director of Jewellery.
Sponsors
