Qatar 365 travels to Marrakech for the Qatar-Morocco Years of Culture 2024, a yearly initiative that aims to deepen cultural ties between countries. The team hits the red carpet at Fashion Trust Arabia and joins Qatari and Moroccan artist as they participate in an artistic exchange.
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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.