MATCHESFASHION is proud to launch the collections from the winning designers of Fashion Trust Arabia 2021 – Zaid Affas (ready-to-wear), Port Tanger (accessories) and Alia Bin Omair (jewellery).
The partnership with Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) is part of MATCHESFASHION’S commitment to champion emerging designers on a global level. Establishing itself as the landmark prize in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Fashion Trust Arabia is a unique philanthropic initiative which focuses on scouting, funding and supporting design talent across the region. The designers launching on MATCHESFASHION were the selected winners of the FTA 2021 Awards, by a panel of leading industry experts.
In addition to receiving financial support of up to $200,000 from FTA, designers are also part of a yearlong mentorship program with the MATCHESFASHION buying team and have participated in workshops at 5 Carlos Place with the business leaders in content, communications, branding, logistics and e-commerce.
ZAID AFFAS
Kuwait-born, Los Angeles-based designer Zaid Affas launched his eponymous label in 2014 after studying menswear design at Central Saint Martins and serving as aesthetic director to labels including PORTS1961 and Ralph Lauren. Inspired by his father’s architectural career and a life lived between London and the Middle East, Affas’ sculptural designs and sustainable philosophy saw him win the prestigious 2021 Fashion Trust Arabia Prize for ready to wear. Expect exacting tailoring, clean lines and sophisticated silhouettes that capture the founder’s forward-thinking ethos.
PORT TANGER
Founded by Daniël Sumarna and Bilal Fellah, Port Tanger is an eyewear label inspired by the vibrant coastal city of Tangier, Morocco and the cultural duality it represents. Informed by the co-founder’s collection of vintage sunglasses, each pair features six points on each side that symbolise the label’s brand pillars: appreciation of the past through nostalgia, tradition and craftsmanship and cherishing the future through hope, design and culture. Expect curved acetate frames in a warm, earthy palette – all ethically handcrafted in Italy.
Alia bin Omair’s eponymous fine jewellery label fuses the rich and storied culture of the United Arab Emirates with a contemporary, sculptural ethos. A Dubai native with a background in graphic design and illustration, her journey to winning the prestigious 2021 Fashion Trust Arabia Prize began with ‘Tears’ – a collection inspired by the frankincense burned as incense in her childhood home – and ‘Satami’, which draws from traditional jewellery worn by Emirati elders. Handcrafted by skilled artisans in the UAE, expect a selection of tactile rings, necklaces and earrings in gleaming 18kt gold studded with precious stones.
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