091 Mohammed Aqra: The Strategist Uplifting Designers in the Middle East

There are visionaries who predict the future — and then there are those who quietly build it. Mohammed Aqra belongs to the latter. As the Chief Strategy Officer of the Arab Fashion Council, he has become one of the most influential figures shaping the evolution of fashion across the Middle East and beyond. Equal parts strategist, connector, and cultural diplomat, he is redefining what it means to turn creativity into economic power. Born in New York to Jordanian parents, Aqra embodies the duality of East and West — a sensibility that has become the foundation of his work. With degrees in International Business and International Business Law, he approaches fashion as both art form and infrastructure, understanding that beauty means little without the scaffolding of sustainability and vision. At just twenty-five, he became one of the youngest executives in the global fashion industry when he co-founded the Arab Fashion Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a unified fashion ecosystem across the twenty-two Arab nations. As its Chief Strategy Officer, Aqra is leading initiatives that bridge diplomacy, technology, and design, and his trajectory has been defined by ambition paired with execution. Under his leadership, the Arab Fashion Council has transformed from a regional platform into a global player. Partnerships with industry giants like Meta, Microsoft, Dyson, DHL, and Mattel have expanded the reach of the Middle East’s creative economy, while collaborations with legendary houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschino, Marchesa, and Carolina Herrera have elevated the Arab fashion narrative onto the international stage. Aqra was also instrumental in founding Dubai Fashion Week alongside Dubai Design District (d3), solidifying the city’s position as one of the five major fashion capitals in the world. But what sets Aqra apart is not only his ability to forge alliances; it’s the way he reimagines the purpose of fashion itself. He sees it as a global language — one that transcends borders and builds bridges. His vision positions the Arab world not as a satellite to the West, but as a central, driving force in the global creative economy. Aqra represents a new kind of industry leader: analytical yet imaginative, disciplined yet daring. His work is not about fashion for fashion’s sake, but about the long game — building creative economies, fostering cross-cultural collaboration, and proving that design can be both a commercial and a diplomatic force. As Dubai continues to rise as a global hub for art, culture, and innovation, Aqra stands at the crossroads — shaping not just how fashion looks, but how it functions, connects, and endures.

You can listen to 091 Mohammed Aqra: The Strategist Uplifting Designers in the Middle East online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

091 Mohammed Aqra: The Strategist Uplifting Designers in the Middle East is an episode from Fashion Your Seatbelt by Jessica Michault.

This episode is 59:13 long.

This episode was published on Nov 6, 2025.

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