Jacob Abrian

Jacob Abrian is the founder and chief executive officer of the Arab Fashion Council (AFC), the world's largest non-profit fashion council as an INGO for Arab World representing the 22 Arabic countries members of the Arab League. Born in Lebanon and raised in Italy, Abrian founded the Arab Fashion Council at the age of 22 with a vision to establish a creative economy, fashion infrastructure in every Arab country and employ over 20 million women. He founded the Council at an age of 22 being the youngest founder in the world representing an international authority.

Abrian's educational background spans multiple disciplines. He received his first honorary high-school degree in Life Science in 2007 followed by a short course in Film Making and Fine Arts before he obtained his second honorary master's degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 2014. In 2013, he has been selected to be one of the architects for the EXPO 2015. Prior to founding the AFC, in 2012 he was scouted to model in Milan where he appeared on Vogue and posed for the world's most renown brands such as Roberto Cavalli, Ermanno Scervino, Moscot, to shortly become the first international male model of Arabic roots.

Career History

• 2012: Fashion Model in Milan, appearing on Vogue and modeling for Roberto Cavalli, Ermanno Scervino, and other luxury brands
• 2013: Architect for EXPO 2015
• 2014: Completed Master's degree in Architecture from Polytechnic University of Milan
• 2015 onwards: Founder and CEO of Arab Fashion Council

Abrian's key achievements include founding the Arab Fashion Week in 2015, a fashion event hosted in Dubai twice a year, which is known as one of the world's five most important fashion events alongside New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks. In April 2018 Abrian, under the Arab Fashion Council, made history by organizing the first fashion week in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, in partnership with the General Entertainment Authority. In 2023, Arab Fashion Week was officially rebranded as Dubai Fashion Week, marking a significant milestone in the city's emergence as a global fashion hub. In September 2019, Abrian has been honored with the League of Gentlemen Award, for his role and contribution in creating opportunities for Arab talents, at the 9th annual Fashion 4 Development Official First Ladies Luncheon during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

What Jacob Abrian could bring to his role at Arab Fashion Council: As founder and CEO, Abrian brings proven expertise in building international fashion infrastructure, having established the world's largest fashion council for Arab nations. His combined background in architecture, modeling, and fashion system development positions him to continue advancing his vision of creating a sustainable fashion ecosystem that elevates Arab designers to global prominence, supports regional talent development, and builds educational frameworks for creative industries across the Middle East and North Africa.