Fashion

What’s Next for TALEL? Leila Roukni Reflects on Her Fashion Trust Arabia Win

BYKhaoula Ghanem

November 26, 2025

Clare Waight Keller was still mid-sentence when Leila Roukni felt the weight of the moment. The former Chloé creative director — the woman who oversaw Roukni’s very first leather-goods internship a decade ago — was now standing in front of her at Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA), holding one of her bags, visibly moved. It was Roukni’s work this time, not her student sketches. “Being able to show her my work ten years later felt like a full-circle moment,” she tells MILLE. “We were both genuinely moved and that experience is something I’ll never forget.”

Minutes later, she wasn’t the intern showing her work. She was FTA’s 2025 Accessories Award winner, beating out a category stacked with design talent from across the Arab world. “I was honestly in shock! I truly didn’t expect it,” she says. “For a moment I felt completely overwhelmed with emotion. It was this powerful mix of disbelief and relief, as if all the years of work were finally being seen.”

Those years weren’t social-media moments or aesthetic brainstorming sessions. They were long days in Parisian leather ateliers, working quietly, technically, obsessively for over a decade before founding TALEL in 2019.

TALEL’s bags look like they could sit in an art gallery just as easily as on someone’s arm with their triangular constructions, bold hard-edged silhouettes softened by leather, and architectural bodies balanced with delicate detailing. The shapes are not “cute,” they are unconventional and decisive. So of course she doesn’t design for the conventionally “chic” consumer. “I design for people who aren’t afraid to take risks and break the rules,” Roukni says. “Those who challenge conventions and express themselves boldly… They embody the spirit of Talel.” It’s no wonder then her creations caught the attention of Beyonce, who regularly reaches for the brand’s triangle bag for a night out.

As Roukni puts it, “Talel is built on storytelling through design. I hoped (the jury) felt the intention behind each piece, the balance of craftsmanship, heritage, and conceptual thinking.”

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And in Doha, the jury felt that immediately. The room was filled with editors, buyers, designers, and industry heavyweights — people who can spot derivative thinking in a second. Roukni did not dilute her perspective to impress them. “Stay rooted in who you are,” she advises future finalists. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the scale of it all, but the most powerful thing you can bring into the room is your authenticity. Prepare well, be open, but don’t dilute your voice.”

Which is exactly what Roukni intends to scale now. “The prize money will help me strengthen the foundation of the brand, expanding production capabilities, refining our materials, and bringing new ideas to life,” she shares. The mentorship, however, is just as transformative. “I plan to soak in every piece of guidance to grow Talel,” she admits, sounding less like someone who won and more like someone who’s just getting ready.

What’s Next for TALEL? Leila Roukni Reflects on Her Fashion Trust Arabia Win

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What’s Next for TALEL? Leila Roukni Reflects on Her Fashion Trust Arabia Win

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