Fashion

Egyptian Designer Farah Radwan On FTA Win, Mentorship Plans, and Future of FYR

BYKhaoula Ghanem

November 26, 2025

Fashion may love the myth of the “starving artist,” surviving on passion until “the world catches on.” But anyone actually building a brand knows the truth is that talent isn’t the problem. Money and infrastructure is. In jewelry, especially, where precious materials are the raw vocabulary of the craft, ideas are worthless without the resources to execute them at scale. That’s why initiatives like Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) matter. They literally keep talent alive, providing investment, mentorship and the structural support designers struggle to access. For FYR Jewelry founder Farah Radwan, this year’s FTA Jewelry Award means she can finally do what every designer dreams of, which is to expand without losing herself.

“With the help of the mentoring and the prize, I’ll finally be able to train and hire a team and delegate more efficiently—so I can focus on what I do best: the art direction and the designing of the jewelry,” the Egyptian designer tells MILLE. “This support will allow me to shape FYR Jewelry into a brand with a lasting, meaningful impact.”

Radwan launched FYR Jewelry in 2019, drawing inspiration from classical Egyptian craftsmanship and the personal histories that shaped her. “I thought of my Isis El Zeki—my grandmother—and her jewelry box which was my first intro to jewelry; I thought of how proud she would have been,” she says about hearing her name called as the FTA winner.

FYR (pronounced “F.Y.R”) is, excuse the pun, fire. The brand is punctuated with textured signet rings meant to be stacked and interpreted, pendants inscribed with coded language, and pieces that look ancient but feel modern. “I design for people who truly appreciate craftsmanship,” Radwan says. “But I also design for the poet, the lover, the siblings of the heart; for the dreamers and the bearers of change. FYR Jewelry serves as an amulet, seamlessly blending resilience and resistance.”

That message resonated instantly with the FTA jury, not because it was explained, but because it was felt. “Gaia Repossi instantly started interacting with my rings,” Radwan recalls. “She took her time stacking them, wearing them in different ways, experimenting, playing with the design—making them her own. It was so intuitive, exactly with the intention I gave them when I designed them.” And then there was Schiaparelli designer Daniel Roseberry, who quietly assessed her brand before he delivered a single sentence that Radwan says she’ll never forget: “The way you showcase your pieces, the way you talked about the storytelling—you are the brand. Don’t ever lose that.”

It’s the kind of affirmation designers rarely receive in a system that often pressures them to flatten themselves into “commercial readiness.” In fact, Radwan’s advice to next year’s finalists says everything about how she sees the industry: “Truly, your voice is your signature; let it out unapologetically, this is what the jury wants to see.”

Egyptian Designer Farah Radwan On FTA Win, Mentorship Plans, and Future of FYR

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Egyptian Designer Farah Radwan On FTA Win, Mentorship Plans, and Future of FYR

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