Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) and Arada have announced a joint initiative to identify and empower the UAE’s next fashion prodigy.
The competition is open to local and locally based-designers who need mentoring and support to bring their fashion concepts to market. The competition will start with a contest, where interested applicants can submit their entries to Sheraa’s social media platforms before September 21.
According to the statement, the winner will receive a three-month rent-free retail space at Artal, Arada’s first beautifully designed boutique on East Boulevard in Aljada, Sharjah. They will also have the opportunity to showcase their work at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) 2023.
The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival is one of the biggest ecosystem events in the region, which has hosted more than 18,500 attendees and more than 465 local and international speakers in five years. The 2022 edition of SEF was its largest yet.
Ms. Iman Ben Chaibah, Head of Community Engagement at Sheraa, noted that, “The fashion industry in the UAE is as vibrant as it is competitive, and sometimes the right mentoring and showcasing opportunities become the difference between failure and success, particularly for individual designers who are up against giant global brands.”
“This impact investment initiative has been designed by Sheraa and supported by Arada to ensure that the exceptional talents in the field of fashion design in Sharjah and the UAE receive world-class mentoring and support to bring their dreams to fruition. As a nation, we admire and respect ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, and therefore design initiatives that ensure that art and creativity continue to thrive,” Ms. Chaibah added.
