Dubai, United Arab Emirates - January 13, 2021:  Six aspiring designers from Saudi Arabia & UAE have been selected by Persil Abaya Shampoo as the winners of Abaytik Stylik (Your Abaya, Your Style) abaya design competition. Each of them will be granted scholarships at French Fashion Institute ESMOD Dubai.

Part of a women empowerment campaign strategically held in conjunction with the re-launch of Persil 2in1 abaya shampoo, the competition encourages self-expression and provides a platform for abaya lovers to showcase their talent. The young women who vied for the scholarship prizes went through several stages of the competition and had the opportunity to be mentored through a coaching session by fashion industry experts in the region. 

The grand prize winner Richa Chouhan from the UAE will get a scholarship for the Modest Fashion & Abaya course. Through this course, she has the option to continue her studies and join the Undergraduate Fashion Design & Creation Degree Program. The other winners will get scholarships to attend a fashion styling course to understand how a style defines one’s personality and how to dress different body shapes and skin colours. 

One of the judges is Emirati designer known for her eponymous label By Amal Murad. Commenting on the sketch submissions, Amal said: 'The aspiring designers were judged based on their creativity, design, originality, confidence, mastery, and vision. Their sketches are a testament that we have so much talent in the region waiting to be discovered. The competition has allowed them to peek at the world of fashion design, but getting into the door is still up to their hard work and perseverance.”

Fashion veterans and co-founders of ESMOD Dubai Tamara Hostal and Denis Ravizza are among the judges of Abaytik Stylik competition. Ravizza, who is also an Art Director of the French fashion institute said: “Confidence, mastery, creativity, technicality and vision are some of the key factors to thrive in the fashion industry.  These fundamentals can only be acquired from fashion education experts and further developed when pursuing a career in the field. Fashion is a wonderful industry with tremendous jobs opportunities. I advise anyone wishing to follow their dream to be armed with passion, dedication and patience.”

In addition to the abaya design competition, the campaign also featured fun online activities where participants received abaya care tips, discount vouchers, and had the opportunity to and be part of a digital lookbook, featured in magazines.

Designed specially to provide special care for abayas, Persil Abaya 2in1 Shampoo features two powerful ingredients that can protect the color and soften the fabric while keeping the abayas fragrant. The premium range is innovative and high performing with its superior German technology trusted for complete abaya care, and available in two scents: Rose and French Perfume.

Ahmed Nasser, Henkel’s Vice President Middle East & Turkey Cluster – Sales MEA – LATAM –APAC, said: “Abaya is a huge part of the Arab heritage and our products help preserve it. To mobilise this, we believe that nurturing young talents in the region is key. Through this campaign, we aimed to identify the undiscovered talents, showcase their flair on a wider platform, and sharpen their skills through the scholarship prizes.”