BEIRUT- November 2, 2016 – As part of its pioneering initiative aiming to support and promote local talents with the potential to grow, lifestyle digital destination Ounousa announced the results of the Ounousa Fashion Awards #OFA16 on the 26th of October 2016. Ounousa leveraged its strong reach across the Arab world as a leading publisher in Arabic as well as its exceptional social media following base (13M fans on Facebook and 475K on Instagram) to showcase the best of talents in the Lebanese fashion scene in the fields of Ready-To-Wear, Accessories and Jewelry. Shortlisted OFA designers were: Jessica K, Marcella Mouawad and Nathalie Karam (for Ready-To-Wear), Kanz, Saque and Sweet Grip (for Accessories), L’Atelier Nawbar, L’Or and The Twist (for Jewelry). The campaign was initiated by the launch of a dedicated website for the competition (http://www.ounousa.com/ofa) and extensive content creation around the participating brands, involving a photoshoot in Paris in July, the production of profile videos for the designers and a tailored communication plan on both web and social media. A Jury panel composed of distinguished personalities in the field of Fashion convened in August during a closed door deliberation to choose the winner of the competition (Jury’s Choice). In parallel, Ounousa gave the opportunity for viewers and supporters of the brands to vote for their preferred designer on the OFA voting platform in order to elect the “People’s Choice”. Jury members of OFA were: fashion influencer Lana el Saheli (L’Armoire de Lana), fashion designer Rami Kadi, Lebanese Ministry of Tourism representant Paola Pharaon Rizk, TV personality Daniella Rahme, celebrity stylist Cedric Haddad and fashion expert Ghada Kazan The Ounousa Fashion Awards were announced at a Gala dinner at the Smallville Hotel in Beirut. The event was punctuated by a Fashion Runway featuring the creations of the 9 shortlisted designers as well as short videos to tell their brand stories. Winners of OFA 2016 edition are: Kanz (Rabiaa Zayat and Yara Ghossein) – Jury’s Choice Sweet Grip (Lama El Khalil and Dima Kronfol) – People’s Choice L’Atelier Nawbar (Tania Nawbar and Dima Nawbar) – Special Prize of the Jury The three winners will benefit from a full digital coverage on Ounousa’s website and social media platforms for a duration of a year to promote their presence and latest collections across the Arab world. Thanks to the support of the Spanish Embassy in Beirut, the winner of the Jury’s Choice will travel to Spain to attend a workshop at a leading university of design. The trip will include a dedicated photoshoot of their collections in signature landmarks in Spain. The Ounousa Fashion Awards were held under the patronage of the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism and the Embassy of Spain in Beirut, with the support of The Smallville Hotel and Sohat, and in partnership with Domaine des Tourelles, Lumalu USA, Kamsyn, The Agenda Beirut and Emile Issa Communication & PR. About Ounousa Ounousa is a leading online magazine targeting Arabic speaking women with topics related to lifestyle, fashion, beauty, parenting and others. Ounousa registers more than 4 Million visitors per month in MENA and has a solid presence on social media with more than 13 Million followers on Facebook. For more information, please visit: http://www.ounousa.com