If last year’s inaugural Fashion Trust Arabia Awards were anything to go by, this year’s was bound to be huge.
Last night in Paris, FTA founder Tania Fares was joined by Carine Roitfeld, Farida Khelfa and Elie Saab to announce this year’s fashion-heavyweight judging panel. And it did not disappoint.
Quite literally reading like a who’s who of the fashion industry, this year’s panel includes but is not limited to: Marc Jacobs, Mario Sorrenti, Gaia Repossi, Christian Louboutin, Eli Saab, Alber Elbaz, Daniel Arsham, Naomi Campbell, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Yoon Ambush and Michele Lamy.
The shortlisted 25 finalists will showcase their collections on March 25 2020. The judging panel will then handpick the five winning designers.
Five designers from five womenswear categories (including eveningwear, ready-to-wear, accessories, jewellery and debut talent) will be selected and awarded at the ceremony, which focuses on recent graduates and outstanding regional design talent.
The five winners will each be awarded an FTA grant of $200,000, which comes with a one-year mentorship program from London-based e-tailer Matchesfashion.com, as well as specialised guidance on sustainability from Maison de Mode.