A whole year has already gone by since Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) last crowned the sartorial talents worth keeping an eye on. As the platform gears up for its 2025 edition— set to take place on Nov. 22— it has just unveiled this year’s panel of judges.
Slated to take place at M7 in Doha, the shortlisted designers will have to present their work in a showcase before the jury deliberates and awards the most deserving talents on the same evening.
Featuring leading voices from across the fashion spectrum, this year’s finalists will have to impress a slew of influential figures who have all, in one way or another, shaped the industry and helped bring it to where it is today. That list includes Egyptian-French designer Christian Louboutin; Jordanian-Romanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi; Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad; Indian-American fashion executive Roopal Patel; Marni creative director Francesco Risso; and Coperni’s own founders Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer; among many others.
The rest of the list reads as follows: Stefano Pilati, Italian fashion designer and former creative director at Yves Saint Laurent; HE Rachid Mohamed Rachid, chairman of the Fashion Trust Arabia board; Daniel Roseberry, creative director of Schiaparelli; Charles Rosier, co-founder of Beauty for a Better Life and long-time industry investor; Remo Ruffini, chairman and CEO of Moncler; Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of Chopard; Giambattista Valli , Italian haute couture and ready-to-wear designer; and Natalia Vodianova, supermodel, philanthropist, and founder of the Naked Heart Foundation.
Together, they will have to assess and decide which rising talents are ready to take their place on the regional — and global — fashion stage. In total, 21 profiles will be examined across several different categories ranging from ready-to-wear to evening wear, accessories, jewelry and more. Only seven out of the chosen 21 will be walking back home with a reward.
Cash prizes can reach up to $200,000, with opportunities of getting stocked at Harrods in London and Ounass across the Middle East. What’s more, Ready-to-wear designers can also snag an internship at Huntsman in London, and to wrap it all up, all winners will join a two-day mentorship program put together by FTA and its respective partners.