Emirati Designer Maitha Alansaari Wins ADMAF x Dolce&Gabbana Award with Heritage‑Infused Cape
Winner Announced
Emirati fashion designer Maitha Alansaari has secured the ADMAF x Dolce&Gabbana Design Award 2025, earning a six‑month internship at the Milan‑based fashion house that will begin in January 2027.
Award Details and Brief
The accolade is organised by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) together with the Italian luxury brand. For this edition, contestants were asked to re‑imagine the traditional Emirati abaya using elements such as flowers, lace, patchwork, hand‑painting and embroidery.
Winning Design
Alansaari’s victorious entry is a cape titled “A Journey Woven in Fragments.” The garment fuses patchwork motifs drawn from Emirati heritage with Italian design traditions, produced via digital printing and completed with hand‑applied embroidery.
Designer’s Remarks
She described the award as more than a personal triumph, saying, “This award is more than a personal achievement, it is a reminder of the power of design to build bridges between cultures.” Alansaari added that the piece illustrates a meeting of Emirati heritage and Italian craftsmanship, “creating a dialogue between two cultures through craftsmanship, storytelling, and innovation.”
Internship Opportunity
Starting in January, Alansaari will spend six months in Milan, working in Dolce&Gabbana’s ateliers alongside its artisans. She hopes to sharpen her skills there, noting, “The opportunity to intern in Milan will allow me to refine my craft while learning from one of fashion’s most iconic brands.”
Designer Background
Alansaari was among the inaugural graduates of the University of Sharjah’s bachelor’s programme in Fashion and Textile Design, the first such degree offered in the United Arab Emirates. She is also a co‑founder of House of 45, characterised as Sharjah’s first concept store that nurtures emerging designers.
Runners‑Up Highlights
The two runners‑up were Fakhra Almansoori and Mohamed Alowais. Almansoori presented “Lace Mirage,” a reinterpretation of the black abaya inspired by the Liwa dunes, while Alowais unveiled “Ethereal Being,” a contemporary take on the Emirati mukhawar that blends lace, beadwork and archival motifs.
Exhibition and Next Edition
All three designs have been manufactured by Dolce&Gabbana and will be displayed for six months at the brand’s boutique in The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi. Applications for the third edition of the award are now open; Emirati designers aged 18 to 35 may submit concepts until 16 November 2026. The winning entry was selected by a jury chaired by ADMAF founder Huda Alkhamis‑Kanoo, comprising representatives of Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda, media executive Asma Al Fahim, artist and designer Azza Al Qubaisi, and Marie Genevieve Cyr of Istituto Marangoni Dubai.
