Now, the word is out. “Doesn’t everyone know Fashion Trust?” Deborah Won, one of the graduate finalists, asked during the showcase. It’s one of few awards that caters to emerging talent, she noted. Lii’s Li, who is also in the running for the LVMH Prize this year, applied after Welch, who is on the FTUS board, advised him to do so. AnOnlyChild’s Chen says she and Osborne found out about the awards through their peers.
Still, among the broader fashion community, FTUS lacks the name recognition of its Middle Eastern counterpart, Fashion Trust Arabia, which Fares founded in 2019. At the November 2025 edition, fashion elite from Miuccia Prada to Daniel Roseberry were in attendance. Fares believes that the FTA association is helping FTUS, just as Fashion Trust UK (the original organization, which Fares founded in 2011) helped in the early days of the Middle East edition. “I remember very well, when I went to meet all the Middle Eastern designers, they were very suspicious and not wanting to apply,” she says. The UK proof point helped to build trust. “It’s exactly the same in the US,” she says. That there’s also now a US track record helps too.
Fares is confident that, once solid bones are built, the rest will follow. Her primary focus is enlisting the right talent. “This scale is big. The talent pool is incredibly broad and making sure we’re reaching the right designers, supporting them in the way that’s actually meaningful…it’s time consuming.” By building a platform that has value for designers — meaning, it actually helps their businesses grow — Fares believes visibility will follow. “We’re focused on growing in a considered way rather than trying to accelerate too quickly,” Fares says.
FTUS is gaining traction. Diotima’s Scott first found out about the awards through social media. “As a brand, we’re always looking for opportunities that not only provide support but also align with our vision and values,” she says. “It felt like a program that genuinely understood the landscape for brands like Diotima.” Scott used the prize money to stage Diotima’s first runway show in September 2025.
“Winning was truly a turning point for us,” Scott says. “The support we received allowed us to invest in some key brand initiatives that we had been working toward — most significantly, producing our first runway show. That was a huge milestone for Diotima. A runway show is more than a presentation; it’s a statement about where the brand is going and a powerful way to connect with a wider audience. Without the resources the win provided, that moment might not have come when it did. It gave us the visibility and momentum we needed at exactly the right time.”
Ahead of the inaugural awards ceremony in 2023, Fares said that she was seeking to prove out the necessity and value of the non-profit for the US fashion landscape. Has FTUS achieved this?
“It’s a bit more recognized. It’s a bit more international [in attendance]. Designers want to be involved,” Fares says. “We sold more tables, we have more sponsors. So yes, we are growing.” Still, she says, there’s more to do. “To raise more funds, that’s important to be able to give back more. And it’s about continuing to strengthen the program and the level of support. I want to build something that designers can rely on, not just [for] a moment in time, but as they grow.”
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