Fashion Trust Arabia announces new stellar advisory board for 5th edition & guest country Nigeria

| It’s the annual rendez-vous for emerging Arab designers worldwide. The non-profit organization Fashion Trust Arabia – who’s preparing its 5th edition to be taking place in Doha this October- just announced a new advisory board that is, just like previous years, stellar. Helping young creatives build a global network and offering them a true support system being the core mission of FTA, the organization has also been inviting a guest country to participate in the competition since 2021. After Colombia and Turkey, this year will see participants from Nigeria present their work.

The Advisory Board will be responsible for selecting the 24 designer finalists, a task far from easy with applications being sent in high volumes from all over the Arab region and beyond. Once selected, these 24 lucky finalists will present their work to a Jury during the Fashion Trust Arabia week of events in Doha next October.

The most eminent figures on Planet Fashion are joining forces to give the future finalists a chance to win either 100.000usd or 200.000usd depending on the size of their business and 25.000usd to the Debut Talent Prize winner. So who’s on this advisory board, you ask? Well buckle up – we’re talking Nina Garcia, the Editor-in-Chief of ELLE US, Tifanny Godoy, the Head of Editorial Content at Vogue Japan, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Stylist and Editor, Sara Maino, Creative Director Fondazione Sozzani, Educational & Scouting Advisor Vogue Italia…and many more (see exhaustive list below.)

Gabriela Karefa-Johnson

Nina Garcia

And as mentioned above, in 2021, FTA introduced a separate Guest Country Award to propose an
opportunity to designers coming from emerging fashion markets to ‘exchange knowledge and encourage dialogue
between cultures.”

After having seen designers from Colombia and Turkey showcasing their creations under Guest Country, this year FTA is hosting Nigeria. It’s safe to say that we cannot wait to discover the creations of these finalists, Lagos having proven itself as a real upcoming Fashion capital the past few years.

Beyond the financial grants, the Ready-to-Wear, Accessories and Jewelry category winners will also receive a one-year mentorship program by MATCHES, who on top of that will carry their collections for one season. London’s iconic Harrods will propose the Evening-Wear category winner’s collection to its public.
Another retail opportunity, Huntsman will offer the Ready-to-Wear category winner an internship in London, enabling the winner to create a capsule collection that will be sold on their e-commerce.

Another platform, Maison De Mode, the luxury ethical fashion retail destination, will offer “a tailored mentorship to all six winners that focuses on the importance of sustainability and ethical fashion practices.”

But the benefits offered by FTA don’t stop there: mentorship by The Bicester Collection and showroom representation and PR consultancy by Maison Pyramide are also part of the winning prize.

“Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) is a non-profit organization focused on scouting, funding and nurturing design
talent across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, while bringing global awareness to its
burgeoning fashion industry.
Born out of the success of Fashion Trust UK, co-founder Tania Fares established Fashion Trust Arabia in
2018 alongside co-chair HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and under the
patronage of Honorary Chair HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.“


Advisory bord exhaustive list

Imruh Asha – Fashion Director Dazed; Stylist & Consultant Streeters
Adam Baidawi – Deputy Global Editorial Director GQ, Head of British GQ
Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele – Fashion Designer
Delfina Delettrez – Jewelry Designer
Nadia Dhouib – Managing Director Paco Rabanne
Peter Dundas – Co-Founder & Creative Director DUNDAS
Nina Garcia – Editor-in-Chief ELLE US
Tiffany Godoy – Head of Editorial Content Vogue Japan
Sofia Guellaty – Founder & Creative Director Mille World
Beka Gvishiani – Founder STYLE NOT COM
Caroline Issa – Chief Executive & Fashion Director Tank
Carlijn Jacobs – Photographer and Director
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson – Stylist & Editor
Ana Khouri – Jewelry Designer
Susie Lau – Writer & Editor
Saif Mahdhi – Founder Safe Management
Sara Maino – Creative Director Fondazione Sozzani, Educational & Scouting Advisor Vogue Italia
Valerie Messika – Founder & Artistic Director Messika Jewelry
Tyler Mitchell – Photographer
Carlos Nazario – Fashion editor, Stylist and Creative consultant
Piotrek Panszczyk & Beckett Fogg – Co-Founders AREA
Fabio Piras – Course Director of Central St Martin’s MA Fashion Course
Gaia Repossi – Creative Director Repossi
Sarah Staudinger – Co-Founder & Creative Director, STAUD




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