Rising talent set to sparkle at the Swarovski Young Designer of the Year Awards 2007

Open to students and amateur designers in the Gulf region and beyond, the competition aims to discover the brightest young talents in the fashion industry. Ten finalists in both the Student and the Amateur Design Category will be given the chance to bring their unique creations to life and showcase them at the final Swarovski Young Designer of the Year Fashion show - a catwalk runway show with professional models on the last day of The Bride Show Dubai 2007.

In addition to the once-in-a-lifetime prize of a fashion internship up for grabs in the Innovations Award, the top winner and runner up in the Student and Amateur Design Categories have the chance to win a fabulous Swarovski hamper and trophy. But it's not only the winners who will benefit; all participants are given access to invaluable workshops and mentoring designed to develop their skills with event sponsor Swarovski and involvements from professionals in the fashion industry.

Based on a theme that acts as a source of inspiration to the contestants, the unique wedding dress creations will be assessed by a panel of judges formed by eminent personalities from the fashion and glamour industry in the UAE. This year's theme, 'Audacity', will no doubt raise the bar in terms of innovation and cutting edge fashion design.

Swarovski's, the world's leading crystal company, has been an integral partner of The Bride Show Dubai from the beginning. Although usually associated with leaders of the fashion industry globally, Swarovski recognises the importance of developing young talent and promoting new ideas and fresh creativity. This is done through a variety of ways in the Middle East such as the Young Designer Awards, which creates a perfect platform to reach these promising future designers.

'Swarovski Young Designer of the Year Awards & the Bride Show have been going from strength to strength every year and it is a pleasure to see the level of professionalism, commitment & creativity of the participants at all levels. We are looking forward to an exciting & innovative competition in 2007,' said Werner Baumgartner, Managing Director, Swarovski Middle East.

As The Bride Show Dubai is the largest and most prestigious bridal exhibition in the Middle East, it is the perfect arena for these budding fashion stars to showcase their unique wedding dress creations to prospective brides and their families, Arab women and expatriates.

Geoffrey Booy, Group Exhibitions Director for IIR Middle East, said: "We are delighted to be hosting the Swarovski Young Designer of the Year Awards at the Bride Show Dubai. The awards enable these talented young designers to showcase their work in front of tens of thousands of visitors from across the entire GCC region and each year the event and the calibre of the contestants continue to reach unprecedented heights. We wish all the contestants the best of luck and look forward to witnessing groundbreaking fashion design."