For those wondering what the future of fashion might look like in the region, look towards Fashion Trust Arabia. The non-profit provides financial support, guidance, and mentorship to emerging designers, giving designers the grants they need to scale their businesses. This year, the organisation has spotlighted Mexico as its Guest Country category and has revealed twenty-one finalists to the public.
On November 28, these finalists will present their work to the FTA jury, which consists of industry insiders and respected voices. Out of the twenty-one, seven winners will be chosen during the FTA 2026 Awards ceremony, set to take place in Doha, Qatar. Category winners will receive grants ranging from $100,000 to $200,000, whereas the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award winner will receive $50,000. Beyond that, the winners in the Evening Wear, Ready-to-Wear, Accessories, and Jewellery categories will have their collections stocked at Harrods and Ounass for a season, alongside mentorship opportunities.
So, across the seven categories, these are the designers to get acquainted with this year.
Ready-to-Wear
Ahmed Hassan | Kml
A conceptual fashion house based in Saudi Arabia, Kml designs reflect the history of dressing and its evolution.
Rayana Heemskerk | Rayana Heemskerk
With a blended heritage of Algeria, Kuwait, France, and the Netherlands, Rayana Heemskerk’s design language reflects that cultural and contemporary mix. Her brand uses sculptural silhouettes, traditional ornamentation, and ancestral craftsmanship that’s playful and feminine.
Sara Mannei Boruc | THE MANNEI
Half Polish and half Jordanian, Sara Mannei Boruc draws on her heritage in her brand. Her collections are produced in Poland while specific handicraft elements are done in Jordan, manifesting the same identity in the pieces she creates. Seen on Hailey Beiber, the pieces themselves are sleek, sensual, and move with the modern woman.
Evening Wear
Cindy Abi Chala | CIN
Based in Paris, CIN is a slow fashion house founded by Lebanese-French designer Cindy Abi Chala. Centred on conscious creation and personal identity, CIN is all about dark romantic designs that show up in a mostly black palette and sculptural forms.
Haidar Krayem | Oscar Kraye
Born in Beirut and based in Dubai, Haidar Krayem’s atelier Oscar Kraye is theatrical, avant-garde, and an exploration of femininity through couture.
Dana Riad | DANA RIAD
With Palestinian roots, Dana Riad explores the concept of a modern warriress through her work. A take on power dressing through tailoring, sculptural silhouettes, intricate craftsmanship, and hardware, the house brings in cultural influences and personal introspection to its designs.
Accessories
Maryam Al-Malki | MARYAM ALMALKI
Understated chic is the best way we’d describe MARYAM ALMALKI. Exploring minimalism through accessories, the brand houses a range of shoes and clutches that work between leather weaves, fringes, and animal prints.
Safa Boudokhane | BALGA
Born and based in Tunisia, BALGA celebrates Tunisian heritage. It’s all in the name—BALGA refers to the traditional Tunisian balgha slippers that are reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. Working with Tunisian artisans, the brand utilises traditional hand embroidery, leather and sculptural design to bring their pieces to life.
Alia Zaki | L’alingi
Seen on the arms of JLO and Lily Collins during Emily in Paris, L’alingi brings the conversation starters every fashion-forward dresser looks towards. The pieces are sculptural, bedazzled, and full of fun, playful details.
Jewelry
Layal AlSultan | ELURA
Rooted in Kuwaiti culture, Layal AlSultan looks at jewellery as a personal expression, where wear and tear further moulds each piece. Her house, ELURA, builds on that, using fluid forms across 18K gold and natural stones.
Joelle Kharrat | Joelle Kharrat
Designing for those who embody anything but subtlety, Joelle Kharrat uses architecture, art, symbolism, and her Oriental background as the jumping-off point in her designs. Her Totem collection takes inspiration from the ancient world with exaggerated curves and builds upon it with a modular placement.
Varouj Vartan | Harry V
Based in Cairo, Harry V by Varouj Vartan uses combining sculptural gold, colourful gemstones, distinctive diamond settings, and unconventional materials to bring its pieces to life. And ranging from the subtle to the statement, the pieces go from perfectly stackable to a statement of their own.
Debut Talent
Layla Al Tawaya
Based in Paris, Layla Al Tawaya is a Palestinian-Jordanian designer. With a penchant for historical dresses and subcultures, her previous work spans Lesage, one of Chanel’s Métiers d’art houses, Iris van Herpen, and Chloé, where she worked as a Flou Design Assistant.
Zeina Issa
A London-based Syrian designer, Zeina Issa brings in a distinctive beaded and chainlink design to her creations. Seen on the likes of Zara Larsson, Zeyne, and more, the designer’s work is a celebration of womanhood against political, cultural, and religious scrutiny placed on Arab and Muslim identity.
Youssef Zogheib
Born in Beirut and currently working as a Junior Tailoring designer at Hermès under Grace Wales Bonner, Youssef Zogheib uses fashion as a way to combat masculinity that was censored through martial discipline and militarised societies. His debut collection GRAVESEND was awarded le Prix du Public Mode at the 40th edition of the Festival de Hyères and explored the softer parts of masculinity that were suppressed by war.
Fashion Tech
Shaimaa & Fatma El-Alawy | MESH–MESH
Based in Cairo, MESH–MESH began as an experiment. Now it stands on its own as 3D printing and Egyptian history come together in the form of playful bags. The bags are statement pieces in their own right, even making appearances in Emily in Paris!
Emna Hussein | Emna Hussein
Creating 3D-printed wearables and accessories, Emna Hussein is not only a fashion tech brand but also an eco-conscious one. Working with a made-to-order format, the brand takes craftsmanship and cultural references from the MENA and the Mediterranean region. Whereas its materials come from plant-based polymers, composites incorporating pine wood waste or crushed oyster shells, and biodegradable and compostable flexible filaments, blending digital and environmental fashion together.
Sirine Kobeissi | GIRLE
Using 3D printing to create eerie pieces, GIRLE is a visual critique of feminine representations. The label deconstructs the traditional codes of feminine dressing and reinterprets the contemporary woman against a hyper-modern materiality.
Guest Country – Mexico
Camila Banzo | Banzo
A Mexico City-based label, Banzo takes a look at the relationship between garments and memory. As such, the pieces are handcrafted from deconstructed pieces, experimenting with materials, silhouettes, and accents.
Patricio Campillo | CAMPILLO
Born in Mexico, Patricio Campillo worked in commercial and editorial work before making the switch to fashion. His work takes a look at Mexico’s charro culture and its visual traditions. Recently showcasing at New York Fashion Week, the brand explores heritage and modernity, with its dialogue fostering the next generation of Mexican luxury.
Neithan & Anga Ruiz | Neithan Herbert
Founded by siblings Neithan & Anga Ruiz, this Mexican-based label is shaped by sculptural construction, intricate handwork, and a romantic visual identity. Recently presenting its SS27 collection at Milan Fashion Week, the brand has taken its San Miguel de Allende roots to the global stage.
