Fashion Trust Arabia Fetes Middle East Creatives in Marrakech

Fashion Trust Arabia is back and stronger than ever. The annual prize ceremony, which has become a cornerstone event on the global fashion calendar, brought together a lineup of celebrities to Marrakech to support design talent from the Middle East and North Africa this weekend. 

The awards ceremony cohosted by actress Angela Bassett attracted guests from across the entertainment industry like actress Taraji P. Henson, Rosario Dawson, Maye Musk, Carla Bruni, Lucien Laviscount, Farida Khelfa, Law Roach, LaQuan Smith, Daphne Guinness, Paris Jackson, Nicky Hilton, models Imaan Hammam, Leonie Hanne, Natalia Vodianova, Halima Aden and Alessandra Ambrosio.

“Marrakech has always been a special place for the global fashion scene, but looking at things tonight, I can’t imagine the red city has every looked so dazzling,” said Bassett, who took the stage with Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy to host the night at the Beldi Palace in Marrakech.

Fashion Trust Arabia founders and co-chairs, Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, and Fashion Trust founder Tania Fares, acknowledged the challenges of war faced by the region, and reaffirmed their dedication to nurturing and supporting the creative community. “Last year, because of the tremendous loss of so many lives, we made the decision to cancel the Fashion Awards,” said Sheikha Al-Mayassa. “However, this year, we move forward with determination, commitment and renewed confidence of the power of culture and fashion to transform lives and support the careers of exceptional Arab designers, helping to build creative industries throughout the Arab world.”

Fares, who hails from Lebanon, acknowledged the pain in her own country and gave a nod to the resilience of the designers and community as well as thanked the international guests for their support. “FTA has helped bring attention to the creativity of our region, and it’s rewarding to see this work recognized by seeing you all here tonight. We’ve built an extraordinary community of business leaders, creative directors, editors, stylists, and, most importantly, the designers we are here to support,” said Fares. “It’s incredibly emotional for me to see so many of you gathered from all corners of the world, united by the shared purpose to support and elevate the talent from our region. Your presence here today speaks volumes.”

This is the first year FTA was held outside of Doha, Qatar, then a main supporter of the event. The change of location was aligned with the Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture, an initiative designed to foster connections between different communities through cultural exchanges and collaborations. Sheikha Al-Mayassa emphasized the significance of Morocco for creatives. “Marrakech embodies the beautiful blend of culture and ideas. It has inspired countless artists and designers, and tonight, we honor those who continue this legacy.”

Model Hammam, who traces her roots to Morocco, said: “Marrakech is not just a city. It’s a rich tapestry of culture. I’m really proud to be here and FTA’s mission truly resonates with me as I see the talent flourishing in our region.”

The prize jury who spent one day deliberating while reviewing the designers’ work was made up of industry luminaries including Amina Muaddi, Olivier Rousteing, IB Kamara, Giambattista Valli, Zuhair Murad, Remo Ruffini, Ben Gorham, Arnaud Vaillant and Sebastien Meyer.

The 2024 winners of the FTA prizes are:

Ready-to-wear: Yasmin Mansour

Eveningwear: Nadine Mosallam

Accessories: Reem Hamed

Jewelry: Noura Abdulaziz Al Saud, Sara Naif Al Saud, and Mashael Khalid Al Saud

Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award: Sylwia Nazzal

Fashion Tech Award: Batoul al-Rashdan

Guest Country Award (Spain): Francisco Barroso and Javier Garcia

Each will receive financial support for their creative endeavors ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 as well as a one-year mentorship program provided by FTA’s retail partners and that covers aspects of fashion business development. The winners in the ready-to-wear, eveningwear, accessories and jewelry categories will have the opportunity to retail internationally at Harrods as well as Ounass for the Middle East region.