On the last day of Paris Fashion Week Men, a special reception was held at the Embassy of Qatar in Paris, in honor of all FTA members marking the announcement of the Judging Panel. The evening was co-hosted by FTA Founder Tania Fares, Carine Roitfeld, Elie Saab, and Farida Khelfa and Mrs. Eman Al Kuwari, wife of the Ambassador of Qatar to France. The Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA), is a charitable organization supporting emerging talent in the MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) region and focuses on scouting, funding and nurturing design talent while bringing global awareness to its burgeoning fashion industry.

Twenty-five finalists will showcase their collections in Doha, Qatar on 25th March 2020 to FTA’s Judging Panel, who will then select the 5 winning designers from the shortlisted finalists. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony that same evening, under the patronage and presence of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, at the newly opened National Museum of Qatar, designed by renowned architect, Jean Nouvel. The five winning designers will receive a financial grant of up to $200,000, a one-year mentorship program from the London-based global luxury retailer Matchesfashion.com, as well as specialized guidance on sustainability from Maison de Mode. Matchesfashion.com will also stock the FTA winners’ collections, providing a crucial platform for the entire world to discover these winning designers.

Last marked the first edition with a judging panel made up Victoria Beckham, Natalie Massenet, Alexander Wang, Diane Von Furstenberg, Antoine Arnault, and Remo Ruffini to name a few.

For 2020 Judges are:

Adrian Cheng, Executive Vice-Chairman & GM of New World Development
Aimee Song, Influencer and Best-Selling Author
Alber Elbaz, Fashion Designer
Carine Roitfeld, Editor-in-Chief and Fashion Director
Christian Louboutin, Shoe Designer
Daniel Arsham, Artist
Elie Saab, Fashion Designer
Elizabeth Saltzman, Celebrity Stylist
Farida Khelfa, Model
Gaia Repossi, Jewellery Designer
Laura Brown, InStyle US Editor-in-Chief
Marc Jacobs, Fashion Designer
Mario Sorrenti, Photographer
Michele Lamy, Entrepreneur & Business Partner Rick Owens
Naomi Campbell, Model
Olivier Rousteing, Creative Director, Balmain
Pierpaolo Piccioli, Creative Director, Valentino
Thom Browne, Fashion Designer
Tory Burch, Fashion Designer
Yoon Ambush, Fashion Designer & Dior Homme Director of Jewellery
Giancarlo Giammetti, Founder & Honorary President of Valentino

Meanwhile, the recently introduced FTA Advisory Board will create a shortlist of 25 finalists from all applications for the 2020 Awards. Advisory board members for this year’s prize include Sarah Andelman, Tim Blanks, Carmen Busquets, Jefferson Hack, Natalie Kingham, Gianluca Longo, Sara Sozzani Maino, Sofia Guellaty, Julie Gilhart, Sarah Mower and Fabio Piras.

Find out more at www.fashiontrustarabia.com