Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) and M7 will present ‘FTA: Threads of Impact. Celebrating 7 Years of Fashion Trust Arabia’ from October 27 to January 3, 2026, featuring the work of more than 80 designers.
The exhibition, which charts FTA’s transformative impact in shaping the careers of emerging designers from across the Mena region, will also present winners and finalists of the FTA Prize and special guest country designers. It brings together designers whose diverse practices are connected through shared ideas, iconographies, and cultural references. Together, they demonstrate how personal narratives interlace and reflect a multifaceted vision of Arab fashion today, affirming FTA’s ongoing commitment to empowering diverse voices and stories on the world stage.
In a press statement, FTA co-founder and co-chair Tania Fares said: “When we started FTA seven years ago, our mission was to create real opportunities for designers from our region and to see their work recognised on a global stage.
“Looking back, I am so proud of the journeys we have helped shape and the voices we have supported. The creativity and depth of talent in the Mena region never cease to inspire me. Threads of Impact is more than an exhibition — it is a celebration of the incredible designers who are redefining what Arab fashion means today and for the future."
M7 director Maha Ghanim al-Sulaiti said: “Presenting the diverse talents FTA has nurtured through this exhibition reflects our joint commitment to empowering creative voices and transforming regional fashion landscape, and positioning Arab talents at the forefront of the global fashion ecosystem.”
Curated by Omoyemi Akerele, the founder and CEO of Lagos Fashion Week, the exhibition is organised around seven thematic “threads” that connect designers from across the Mena region. It highlights how designers contribute to the global fashion conversation while preserving their distinct cultural identities.
Among the sections are “Urban Contemporary,” focused on designers whose work blends street style with high fashion; “Conscious Constructs,” highlighting artistry that prioritises sustainability; and “Sculpted Forms,” looking at artists who utilise bold lines and sculptural forms.
Designers featured in the exhibition include FTA winner Andrea Wazen (Andrea Wazen, UAE/Lebanon); FTA winner Noura Abdulaziz al-Saud, Sara Naif al-Saud, Mashael Khalid al-Saud (APOA, Saudi Arabia); FTA winner Mohamed Benchellal (Benchellal, Netherlands/ Morocco); FTA finalist Ibrahim Shebani (Born in Exile, Libya); FTA Finalist Yousra ElSadig (Boutique de Nana, Canada/UK); FTA winner Kazna Asker (Kazna Asker, UK/Yemen); FTA Finalist Laura Laurens (Laura Laurens, Colombia); FTA winners Maya, Meena and Zeenat Mukhi (Mukhi Sisters, Lebanon/India); FTA winner Sylwia Nazzal (Nazzal Studio, Palestine); FTA winner Ahmed Sabry and Daki Marouf (Sabry Marouf, Egypt); FTA winner Salim Azzam (Salim Azzam, Lebanon); and recent FTA winner Yasmin Mansour (Yasmin Mansour, Qatar/Egypt) in the evening wear category, among many others.
Also on view at M7 will be Houbara Haven: A Chaumet Tiara, an exhibition debuting the winning design from Qatari artist Aisha Alattiya, and Amazigh Hair Couture, an exhibition celebrating Moroccan Amazigh hair traditions as a living and evolving art form.
The programme will include talks, workshops, interactive designer weekends, and community events. It is designed to help young talent grow and engage wider audiences on the vital role fashion plays for cultural exchange and a driver of social and creative change.
The exhibition, which charts FTA’s transformative impact in shaping the careers of emerging designers from across the Mena region, will also present winners and finalists of the FTA Prize and special guest country designers. It brings together designers whose diverse practices are connected through shared ideas, iconographies, and cultural references. Together, they demonstrate how personal narratives interlace and reflect a multifaceted vision of Arab fashion today, affirming FTA’s ongoing commitment to empowering diverse voices and stories on the world stage.
In a press statement, FTA co-founder and co-chair Tania Fares said: “When we started FTA seven years ago, our mission was to create real opportunities for designers from our region and to see their work recognised on a global stage.
“Looking back, I am so proud of the journeys we have helped shape and the voices we have supported. The creativity and depth of talent in the Mena region never cease to inspire me. Threads of Impact is more than an exhibition — it is a celebration of the incredible designers who are redefining what Arab fashion means today and for the future."
M7 director Maha Ghanim al-Sulaiti said: “Presenting the diverse talents FTA has nurtured through this exhibition reflects our joint commitment to empowering creative voices and transforming regional fashion landscape, and positioning Arab talents at the forefront of the global fashion ecosystem.”
Curated by Omoyemi Akerele, the founder and CEO of Lagos Fashion Week, the exhibition is organised around seven thematic “threads” that connect designers from across the Mena region. It highlights how designers contribute to the global fashion conversation while preserving their distinct cultural identities.
Among the sections are “Urban Contemporary,” focused on designers whose work blends street style with high fashion; “Conscious Constructs,” highlighting artistry that prioritises sustainability; and “Sculpted Forms,” looking at artists who utilise bold lines and sculptural forms.
Designers featured in the exhibition include FTA winner Andrea Wazen (Andrea Wazen, UAE/Lebanon); FTA winner Noura Abdulaziz al-Saud, Sara Naif al-Saud, Mashael Khalid al-Saud (APOA, Saudi Arabia); FTA winner Mohamed Benchellal (Benchellal, Netherlands/ Morocco); FTA finalist Ibrahim Shebani (Born in Exile, Libya); FTA Finalist Yousra ElSadig (Boutique de Nana, Canada/UK); FTA winner Kazna Asker (Kazna Asker, UK/Yemen); FTA Finalist Laura Laurens (Laura Laurens, Colombia); FTA winners Maya, Meena and Zeenat Mukhi (Mukhi Sisters, Lebanon/India); FTA winner Sylwia Nazzal (Nazzal Studio, Palestine); FTA winner Ahmed Sabry and Daki Marouf (Sabry Marouf, Egypt); FTA winner Salim Azzam (Salim Azzam, Lebanon); and recent FTA winner Yasmin Mansour (Yasmin Mansour, Qatar/Egypt) in the evening wear category, among many others.
Also on view at M7 will be Houbara Haven: A Chaumet Tiara, an exhibition debuting the winning design from Qatari artist Aisha Alattiya, and Amazigh Hair Couture, an exhibition celebrating Moroccan Amazigh hair traditions as a living and evolving art form.
The programme will include talks, workshops, interactive designer weekends, and community events. It is designed to help young talent grow and engage wider audiences on the vital role fashion plays for cultural exchange and a driver of social and creative change.