Yousra Razine Mahrah is the winner of the Dutch young talent award Lichting 2023. The winner was announced on Friday afternoon after the annual Lichting show in the well-known Felix Meritis building on Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. During the show, seven selected graduates from Dutch fashion academies showed their creations, as well as three graduates who had applied via a call for applications.
Mahrah applied via the open call and presented her collection called “K*tmarokkaan”. The collection reflects her Moroccan upbringing and creates a personality with which to assert oneself in various everyday situations. Her identity as a Moroccan woman weaves through four contrasting worlds, from sensual lingerie to parental modesty to Berber goatskin traditions and Dutch stereotypes.
This year the international jury consisted of Tom van der Borght, GryNissen, Marlo Saalmink and Ahmad Larnes. The jury announced the winners immediately after the show. “We don’t have to talk about it for long, Yousra is the deserved winner,” the voice echoed through the room, followed by loud applause and a standing ovation.
Mahrah will receive the EUR 10,000 Lichting Award and EUR 5,000 legal advice from the law firm Van Kaam Advocaten.
Stepping stone to a viable career in fashion
This year, Lichting worked with an open call for tenders for the second time. Graduates who were not selected by an academy could nominate themselves. Together with seven designers selected by the academies, they presented their designs to the jury. This year, 25 Lichting graduates were selected, ten of whom made it to the final round.
Lichting is an initiative of Amsterdam Fashion Week and creative agency HTNK International and is supported by the Meester Koetsier Foundation and the law firm Van Kaam Advocaten. During the Lichting Show, ten talented graduates of Dutch fashion academies show their work. Lichting’s goal is to offer promising designers a springboard for a sustainable career.