“Everyone worldwide eats Middle Eastern food,” says the Lebanese-born fashion philanthropist Tania Fares. “But no one knows a thing about its fashion designers.” Until now, that is. This week, Fares launched Fashion Trust Arabia — a non-profit mentorship and financial prize programme for emerging designers across the whole of the Middle East and North Africa, which aims to give winning designers international exposure. “There is a lot of talent in the region, but there’s a lack of support,” says Fares. “We’re creating a structure within the industry there from scratch.”
「全世界的人都在享用著中東美食。」出生於黎巴嫩的時尚伯樂塔妮婭•法雷斯(Tania Fares)說，「但是，中東的時尚設計師卻鮮爲人知。」至少到目前爲此是這樣。不久前，法雷斯發起成立了阿拉伯時尚信託基金(Fashion Trust Arabia)——這個非贏利性的基金會爲整個中東及北非地區的設計新銳提供導師指導以及獎金支持，旨在提升獲獎者的國際知名度。「中東有很多才華橫溢的設計師，但對他們的支持度不夠。」法雷斯說，「我們白手起家打造這個業界平臺。」