00:00Yeah, it was really, really hard before the FTA to have a platform to be visible.
00:08And I'm really happy that we now have a chance to showcase all this beautiful design.
00:13During the process, I had two mixed emotions.
00:17One of them is stress, fear, because it's my first mural ever, and excitement and joy.
00:25Hello, welcome to this special edition of Qatar 365 with me, Adil Halim.
00:31We're coming to you from Jama'a al-Fana, the iconic bustling square here in Marrakesh,
00:37the historical and cultural heart of the city.
00:40It's the perfect backdrop to showcase the Qatar-Morocco Years of Culture 2024,
00:45the Qatar Museum's-led initiative to spark cultural exchange and dialogue.
00:50There's a lot going on here.
00:51We'll take you through a wide range of activities and exhibitions.
00:54But first, Ioanna Hughes hits the red carpet at Fashion Trust Arabia,
00:59the coveted prize that supports emerging design talent from the MENA region.
01:05For the first time since its launch in 2018,
01:08Fashion Trust Arabia, the prestigious annual design awards,
01:12is taking place outside Qatar as part of the 2024 Years of Culture.
01:1722 finalists, hailing from across the Middle East and North Africa,
01:21have come here to Marrakesh to impress the judges with designs across seven categories,
01:26from evening wear to jewellery and fashion tech.
01:29I'm a finalist for the category Ready to Wear, and I'm from Tunisia.
01:33I'm very much inspired by the Tunisian culture, very much about artisanship in Tunisia.
01:39I work very close with the linen weavers in Tunisia,
01:43and this is a really big inspiration for me.
01:45I'm representing the jewellery category in Fashion Trust Arabia 2024,
01:49representing proudly Lebanon.
01:51Mainly, I'm always inspired by the marine life.
01:54I love to swim and spending time on the water.
01:58The colours, the fish, the corals, all the marine life is so inspiring that I love it.
02:04I'm from Iraq, and I'm a finalist for the Debut Talent Awards.
02:09In my collection, I was inspired by a lot of daily objects,
02:14some of them like the delivery bag, paper straw,
02:17daily objects that we don't pay attention to.
02:20Marking its sixth edition this year, Fashion Trust Arabia is the first of its kind in the Arab world.
02:25Supporting talent from the region,
02:27FTA gives up-and-coming designers a platform to showcase their work on an international stage.
02:33It was really, really hard before the FTA to have a platform to be visible,
02:40and I'm really happy that we now have a chance to be visible on a more international level
02:45and showcase all this beautiful design and work,
02:48and also come together as a designer and inspire each other.
02:55Tonight, it's awards time.
02:57The FTA finalists have come here to the historic El-Badi Palace,
03:01dressed to impress and with their eyes on the prize.
03:04In the presence of some of the biggest and in-vogue names in the fashion industry,
03:08one designer in each FTA category will walk away from this evening with a prestigious new title,
03:14winner of Fashion Trust Arabia 2024.
03:19The wait is over, the verdict is in.
03:25The lucky winners are taking home a huge cash prize,
03:28a year-long mentorship,
03:30and their collections will be carried by British luxury department store Harrods.
03:34But even for those who have missed out tonight,
03:37the title of FTA finalist never goes out of style.
03:41Being called the Fashion Trust Arabia finalist is already a lot for us.
03:45A lot of people that supported us, a lot of the communities and artists that supported and believed the brand
03:51are proud of where we got and where we're getting to.
03:56Three fashionable days, seven awards and a few wardrobe malfunctions later,
04:00Fashion Trust Arabia 2024 has come to an end.
04:04But for these 22 rising stars in fashion,
04:07FTA and their time here in Marrakech is only the beginning.
04:15Now, let's go from the red carpet to behind the scenes.
04:18I caught up with the co-founder of the prestigious Fashion Trust here at the Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech.
04:24Born in Beirut, raised in Paris,
04:26Tania Ferris heads the non-profit organization focused on providing a global platform
04:31for Middle Eastern designers ready for the international market.
04:36Tania, you founded Fashion Trust in the UK in 2011,
04:39then Fashion Trust Arabia in 2018.
04:42When you came up with the idea of marrying fashion with philanthropy,
04:45did you ever imagine the Fashion Trust brand would be as big as it is today?
04:49Actually, no. I co-founded Fashion Trust with the British Fashion Council in the UK in 2011.
04:56And the whole idea started is because I had my own fashion label for many years
05:02and I learned so much from my own brand.
05:04It was called Lulu & Co.
05:06It can be lonely being in fashion and I learned so much by having the label
05:11and I wanted to support young designers.
05:14And then in 2018, as you know, I'm Lebanese,
05:17so I understand the region, I speak Arabic, I read, I love the region
05:23and I always dreamt of supporting young Arab designers from the MENA region.
05:30And then Her Highness Sheikha Moza, I met her and I met Her Excellency Sheikha al-Mayasa
05:36and we co-founded it together.
05:40And yeah, it's been amazing to see this journey grow and to where we are in Marrakech, here we are.
05:48When you started Fashion Trust Arabia, you had a stated goal to make the Middle East a fashion hub.
05:53How close are you to realizing that vision?
05:55I mean, we still have a long way to go.
05:57You know, I think that since we started, we had like 200, 250 applications.
06:03Now we have 1,200 yearly and, you know, everyone's supporting and being supportive of the region,
06:10which is very good for everyone.
06:12Like, I feel the more the merrier.
06:15So we're getting there, but of course it's a long way to go.
06:18There are a lot of challenges that a lot of designers go through.
06:22And yeah, with the mentorship, with the support system that we're giving them,
06:26hopefully, you know, it will support them and help them, help their careers.
06:31And we just finished the awards night, but I'm sure you're already looking forward to 2025.
06:35What would you like to see from, you know, the next batch of up-and-coming designers
06:39who want to apply for a Fashion Trust Arabia award?
06:42Like for them to have their own identity, the quality, of course, of the clothing,
06:48the design to be very, you know, innovative.
06:52So that's what we're always looking at, a collection that you're inspired by.
06:56And like yesterday, looking around the showcase is inspiring to me.
07:00I'm like, oh my God, this is gorgeous. Oh my God, this is so beautiful.
07:04I love this. I love that.
07:05So, you know, so that's what inspires me to be around them, to meet them, to see them, to get to know them.
07:12You rub shoulders with a lot of A-listed and celebrities.
07:15But what is it about new and emerging designers that you really enjoy meeting?
07:19I love how creative, like I love this, the journey of their creativity.
07:25Like how they evolve. Like yesterday, just hugging them and just like being,
07:32feeling that they're so proud and happy being part of FTA, you know,
07:38is what makes me want to do more and support more.
07:44Now we've enjoyed a lot of fashion so far,
07:47but there are so many more cultural exchanges as part of the Years of Culture initiative.
07:51We've come to Rabat to meet some Qatari artists looking to turn their artistic expression
07:56into a lasting impression here in Morocco.
08:00A core value in the Years of Culture mission is bringing together artists from different cultures.
08:05What better way to foster cultural exchange than by sharing the same canvas?
08:10Jeddari Art showcases the works of Qatari and Doha-based artists in public spaces across Qatar.
08:16But for the first time this year, the Qatar Museums Initiative partnered with Morocco's Jeddar Street Art Festival.
08:23Three Qatari artists were paired with three Moroccan artists to create joint installations here at Rabat's serene Hassan II Park.
08:32Qatari artist Anfal Alkandari teamed up with Moroccan artist Hamza Marmouch to produce this piece.
08:38So I tried to find the similarities between the two cultures and focus on them through my work.
08:46So I wanted people here in Morocco, when they pass by, they see something that they can relate to,
08:52but at the same time they would think, we know this culture.
08:55For that one specifically, I find the beauty of how both cultures still proudly wear the thob and the ghitra.
09:04And here in Morocco, they wear the jalabiya with the darboush. It's very fascinating.
09:10They each painted two murals as part of the Cubist Landscape Exhibition.
09:14Hamza says this collaborative exercise has been rewarding and therapeutic.
09:19I've been doing art since I was young. It's been like a therapy for me.
09:23I decided to take it as a career path. It was a hard career path, but it's rewarding if you're consistent.
09:31It's going to be hard, a lot of difficulties and stuff, but you just got to keep on going, keep on pursuing what you love.
09:37We then returned to Marrakech to join a group of volunteers participating in another Years of Culture exchange.
09:43Organized by Education Above All, a global foundation for education and development,
09:4810 Qatari and 10 Moroccan youth volunteers with an interest in entrepreneurship were selected to participate in workshops and immersive experiences,
09:56with a special focus on developing entrepreneurial skills.
10:00One, being an entrepreneur or studying business, and two, being an Arabic speaker.
10:06We're coming to an Arabic country. Their program was in Arabic.
10:09We're bringing entrepreneurs from Qatar to engage and interact with local entrepreneurs to, one, receive training,
10:16but share knowledge and skills, and then, finally, to actually design businesses together.
10:22Ghalia Aldosari was one of the Qatari volunteers who got a chance to experience the splendors of Morocco firsthand.
10:29The third-year University of Doha for Science and Technology student was motivated after meeting local youth beneficiaries
10:35who've overcome impossible odds to start their own businesses.
10:39It kind of opened my eye that we have a lot of people that have the potential and we have the resources to do, but they don't.
10:48And that just gave me a push to actually do and follow my dreams or influence people to follow their dreams.
10:54The volunteers also got a chance to visit the calm and tranquil Marrakesh Palm Grove.
10:59Ghalia found it so inspiring she even planted a palm tree,
11:03a small gesture of thanks to the city that welcomed her and her fellow volunteers for a week full of learning experiences
11:10that will undoubtedly change their lives forever.
11:14Because learning is a continuous journey, and I feel like the only way you could learn is by stepping out of your comfort zone
11:21and seeing other people's culture.
11:23So it just made us feel more interconnected and we felt like a family.
11:32From walking the red carpet at Fashion Trust Arabia here in Marrakesh
11:35to meeting Qatari artists creating public art pieces in Rabat,
11:39we hope you enjoyed this special episode of Qatar 365.
11:43But that's all the time we have for now.
11:45We say goodbye from Morocco and see you again in Doha.
11:48For more, check out euronews.com and connect with us through a hashtag.
11:51Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
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