Lebanese designer Hussein Bazaza won the Style.com/Arabia – Dubai Design and Fashion Council Fashion Prize on Wednesday evening.
"We aim through the Fashion Prize to promote the regional fashion scene to a global level, and our efforts will not stop at only choosing winners, but we will support all local talents to give the opportunity for this talent to get to a global level," said Shashi Menon, the CEO and publisher of Style.com/Arabia.
Bazaza, a 25-year-old-designer from Beirut, accepted the prize at a ceremony held in Dubai's One&Only Royal Mirage. The ceremony was attended by numerous regional celebrities, including Lebanese fashion designers Reem Acra and Zuhair Murad .
The first of its kind in the region, the prize was launched in partnership with the fashion and beauty website Farfetch.com under the supervision of of a panel of executives from Style.com/Arabia, the Dubai Design and Fashion Council, Farfetch, and regional and international fashion experts.
"The Fashion Prize is a symbol of care for talent for it to grow and expand. Our thanks go to all local and international partners for their support of this prestigious award," editor-in-chief of Style.com/Arabia Sofia Guellaty said.
Some 200 designers from 16 different Arab countries were considered, and nine finalists were chosen from six different countries: Amine Bendriouich (Morocco), Aziz Humaid (KSA), Hussein Bazaza (Lebanon), Hind Matar (Bahrain), Nafsika Skourti (Jordan), Rami Kadi (Lebanon), Reemami (UAE), Taller Marmo (UAE), and Zayan Ghandour (UAE).
In addition to the prize, Bazaza has been given a financial grant and will be creating a capsule collection on Farfetch.com. He will also benefit from a year of mentorship from experts in the fields of design and fashion, and receive more than $250,000 in press coverage and advertising value.