Qatar awards seek to anchor fashion as a creative force in Arab world that transcends borders

As the owner of Valentino, Balmain and Harrods, the Gulf state of Qatar has lofty ambitions in the world of luxury fashion. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the mother of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the ruler of Qatar, is one of the most stylish royals in the world. And in the National Museum of Qatar, the country’s capital, Doha, has what British newspaper The Times called “the most extraordinary building of the decade”.

Built at a cost of US$434 million, the museum opened last month in the presence of, among others, artist Ai Weiwei, actor Johnny Depp, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and Italian fashion doyenne Miuccia Prada.

Held under the patronage of Sheikha Moza and co-chaired by the sister of the emir, Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad al- Thani, chairwoman of Qatar Museums, and Tania Fares, founder of the British Fashion Council (BFC) Fashion Trust – which provides grants to support designers – the prizes were judged by a panel including fashion designers Diane von Furstenberg, Olivier Rousteing, Alexander Wang, and Giambattista Valli, Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet, Dutch model Imaan Hammam and Indian actress Sonam Kapoor.