The Fashion Trust U.S. Awards has awarded emerging Ghanaian designer, Papa Oppong, with the first Graduate Award.

Papa Oppong’s award was presented by critically-acclaimed Fashion Stylist Law Roach, at the inaugural ceremony held last night in Los Angeles.

Alongside his award, Papa Oppong will be receiving professional mentorship and a grant from Google, sponsors of the award.

In a Twitter post celebrating his win, Papa Oppong thanked God for the blessings.

No words. Just blessings. Thank you God. 🙏🏾💕♥️ pic.twitter.com/YSmwP8bsGy

— Papa Oppong (@0ppong) March 22, 2023

The night saw Hollywood A-listers like including Tracee Ellis Ross, Ciara, Heidi Klum, Law Roach, Demi Moore, and more in attendance.

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Other honorees included knitwear designer, Aisling Camps, who was presented with The St. John Ready-to-Wear Award, Soull and Dynasty Ogun of L’ Enchanteur who was awarded with the Jewelry Award.

The non-profit organization, founded by Tania Fares and Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, serves to foster emerging designers, connecting them with resources including funding and mentorship.

About Papa Oppong

Papa Oppong is a fashion designer born and raised in Ghana – West Africa. With a strong love for storytelling and self expression, the young designer is constantly on a quest to promote cultural identity, society’s views on gender roles and issues of feminism through his work in fashion.

Currently, Papa lives in New York City where he recently earned his MFA degree in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.