Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) has unveiled the 21 designers shortlisted for its 2026 Awards, placing the region’s most exciting emerging talent in the global spotlight. Selected by the FTA Advisory Board, 18 designers from across the MENA region will compete across six award categories, while three finalists from Mexico, this year’s Guest Country, will contend for the dedicated Guest Country Award.
On November 28, 2026, the finalists will present their work to the FTA Jury in Doha, with seven winners announced during the evening’s FTA 2026 Awards ceremony. Spanning ready-to-wear, evening wear, accessories, jewellery, debut talent and fashion tech, this year’s line-up reflects FTA’s ongoing mission to champion, mentor and elevate the next generation of designers from the region and beyond.
Meet the Finalists
Ready-to-Wear
Founded in 2022 by Ahmed and Razan Hassan, KML is a conceptual fashion house that uses research into the history and evolution of human dress to create contemporary designs that speak to our shared identity.
Rayana Heemskerk blends her Algerian, Kabyle and Dutch heritage into contemporary designs that reinterpret ancestral craftsmanship, textiles and jewellery through sculptural, architectural silhouettes, while collaborating with artisans to keep heritage and craftsmanship alive.
Founded by Polish-Jordanian designer Sara Boruc Mannei, THE MANNEI creates modern womenswear that pairs refined silhouettes with artisanal craftsmanship from Poland and Jordan.
Evening wear
Founded in 2023 by Lebanese-French designer Cindy AbiChala, CIN is a Paris-based slow fashion house creating handcrafted, limited-edition pieces that blend mysticism, dark romanticism and dual cultural identity.
DANA RIAD is a fashion house rooted in its Palestinian identity that reimagines power dressing through architectural tailoring, sculptural silhouettes and a nuanced exploration of feminine strength and duality.
Founded by Beirut-born, Dubai-based designer Haidar Krayem in 2022, Oscar Kraye is a couture and ready-to-wear label known for transforming curiosity, craftsmanship and material experimentation into distinctive design.
Accessories
Founded by Lebanese designer Alia Zaki Ali, L’alingi is a London-based accessories house creating sculptural, statement handbags that transform personal heritage and craftsmanship into wearable art.
Maryam Almalki is a Qatari label offering minimalist, seasonless luxury through precise construction that balances masculine structure with feminine finishes.
Founded in Tunisia in 2019 by Safa Boudokhane, BALGA DESIGN reinterprets the traditional Tunisian balgha through a modern lens with hand-embroidered, artisan-crafted footwear that blends heritage with contemporary elegance.
Jewellery
Founded in Beirut in 2022, Joelle Kharrat is a fine jewellery house blending Lebanese craftsmanship with modern European luxury through sculptural, modular 18k gold pieces inspired by art, architecture and symbolism.
ELURA is a Kuwait-rooted contemporary fine jewellery house by Layal AlSultan, creating sculptural 18k gold and natural-stone pieces designed to become enduring expressions of a woman’s identity.
Founded in Cairo in 2021 by Varouj Vartan Kazandjian, Harry V is a fine jewellery brand bringing a fresh perspective to classic craftsmanship with sculptural gold, colourful gemstones and unexpected details for everyday wear and collecting.
Debut Talent
Layla Al Tawaya is a Palestinian-Jordanian designer based in Paris who reinterprets historical dress and subcultures through contrasting references, material experimentation, and reconstruction, as seen in her collection Perfected Perfecto.
Beirut-born, Paris-based menswear designer Youssef Zogheib explores tenderness, identity and militarised masculinity through couture tailoring, earning the Prix du Public Mode at the Festival de Hyères for his debut collection GRAVESEND.
Zeina Issa is a London-based Syrian designer whose maximalist garments blend chainmail, Syrian cross-stitch and historical symbols to assert an unapologetic, self-authored vision of contemporary Arab Muslim womanhood.
Fashion Tech
EMNA HUSSEIN is a Tunisian made-to-order fashion-tech brand that combines 3D printing, hand craftsmanship and North African heritage to create sculptural accessories and modular garments from more sustainable materials.
Founded in Cairo in 2024 by Shaimaa and Fatma El-Alawy, mesh–mesh creates whimsical, contemporary bags that blend 3D printing and geometric precision with regional heritage, humour and playful self-expression.
GIRLE, founded by Sirine Kobeissi, is a fashion label that deconstructs traditional codes of femininity, reinterpreting ornamentation into a hypermodern language that explores the tension between the organic body and synthetic reality.
Guest Country – Mexico
Founded in Mexico City in 2021 by Camila Banzo, Banzo creates one-of-a-kind, handcrafted garments from deconstructed and repurposed clothing, merging memory, sustainability and experimental design.
NEITHAN HERBERT is a Mexican luxury ready-to-wear house founded by siblings Neithan and Anga Ruiz, known for romantic, sculptural garments made through close collaboration with local artisans in San Miguel de Allende.
CAMPILLO is a Mexico City-based luxury label by designer Patricio Campillo that translates Mexican heritage, charro culture and artisanal techniques into a contemporary vision of tailoring and craftsmanship.
