Fashion Trust Arabia Celebrates 2024 FTA Prize Winners

Held in Marrakech, the Sixth Annual FTA Prize Event Celebrated Middle-East North-Africa Design Talent

Fashion Trust Arabia held its sixth annual FTA Prize event at Marrakech’s historic El Badi Palace on Friday, October 25. This year’s event celebrated seven emerging fashion designers, showcasing their talents to a gathering of global and regional celebrities, industry experts, and media representatives. Co-Chairs Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and FTA Co-Founder Tania Fares emphasized their commitment to supporting MENA region designers.

Hosted by acclaimed actress Angela Bassett and Egyptian actor Ahmad Helmy, the evening attracted a star-studded audience, including Carla Bruni Sarkozy, Jameela Jamil, Taraji P. Henson, and Paloma Elsesser. Sophie Ellis-Bextor provided a musical performance, entertaining attendees as the event recognized achievements across multiple design categories.

The 24 finalists presented their collections to a distinguished jury at the Beldi Country Club, competing in categories such as Ready-to-Wear, Eveningwear, Accessories, Jewelry, and others including the new Fashion Tech Award and the Guest Country Award. The winners received cash prizes from $100,000 to $200,000 and will benefit from a year-long mentorship program from FTA’s retail partners and industry professionals, including guidance on sustainable practices through Maison De Mode. Select winners will also have their collections available at Harrods and Ounass.

The 2024 FTA Prize recipients are Yasmin Mansour (Ready-to-Wear), Nadine Mosallam (Eveningwear), Reem Hamed (Accessories), and Noura Abdulaziz Al Saud, Sara Naif Al Saud, and Mashael Khalid Al Saud (Jewelry). The Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award went to Sylwia Nazzal, while the inaugural Fashion Tech Award was given to Batoul al-Rashdan. Spain’s Francisco Barroso and Javier Garcia won the Guest Country Award.

The event highlighted the ongoing support of the FTA Advisory Board, including notable figures such as designer Ana Khouri, Erdem Moralıoğlu, and Harrods CEO Michael Ward, as well as the esteemed jury, featuring industry leaders like Olivier Rousteing, Guram Gvasalia, and Amina Muaddi. Their involvement has been instrumental in FTA’s mission to uplift emerging talent.

Founded in 2018, FTA is dedicated to fostering the fashion industry in the Middle East North Africa region by offering financial awards and strategic mentorship to designers ready to expand internationally. This year’s event, part of the Qatar-Morocco Year of Culture, reflects FTA’s vision of bridging cultures through fashion and supporting designers in a globalized market.

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