The DDFC/Vogue Fashion Prize is an annual endowment granted to the most promising fashion and accessories design talents in the Arab world. The first of its kind in the region, the endowment was launched in 2015 by Style.com/Arabia, the Middle East’s only Condé Nast fashion and beauty publication, and the Dubai Design & Fashion Council (DDFC), in partnership with the global e-commerce platform Farfetch. Award finalists and ultimate winners are selected — based on demonstrable talent and capacity for future success — by a Selection Committee comprising senior executives from Vogue Arabia, the Dubai Design & Fashion Council, Farfetch, and both the regional and international fashion communities.
In the Fashion Prize’s inaugural year, 200 different women’s ready-to-wear designers from 15 different countries across the Arab world applied. Last April, the winning collections from Lebanese designer Hussein Bazaza and Bahraini designer Hind Matar, were presented exclusively for sale on Farfetch.
In 2016, the Fashion Prize is notably expanding beyond women’s ready-to-wear to also include a prize for accessory design.
Each year, the DDFC/Vogue Fashion Prize awards a winning designer with a package collectively representing US $250,000 in value. This year, winners of the Fashion Prize will be announced in the Fall, including the Fashion Prize Award for Ready-to-Wear and the Fashion Prize Award for Accessory Design.
Prizes include:
- A financial grant and the opportunity to produce the winning collections for sale on Farfetch.com
- Retail distribution at Browns Fashion (UK), Curve Boutique (USA), and Al Ostoura (Kuwait)
- Media/press coverage
- An advertising campaign
Additional prizes of mentoring and/or business support may be awarded to other DDFC/Vogue Fashion Prize Finalists.