For more than two decades, Fupu Tenjing Sherpa has worked across fashion, pageantry, event management and creative education, building a career around platforms that connect young talent with Nepal’s growing creative industry. That journey has now earned him another professional recognition.
Sherpa, Managing Director of IIFT School of Fashion & Interior Design, was honoured with the Excellence in Fashion Education Award 2026 at the 7th Asian Professional Achievement Awards, held at Hotel Himalaya, Kupondole, Lalitpur, on September 13, 2026.
Organized by Season Media Pvt. Ltd., the ceremony brought together professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, artists, media personalities and business leaders from Nepal and other Asian countries.
The award was presented in the presence of Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Nepal’s first President, who attended the ceremony as chief guest. Among the other prominent guests were Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal, President of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, and H.E. Md. Shafique Rahman, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal.
Professionals from sectors including industry, commerce, banking, hospitality, education, journalism, broadcasting, fashion, aviation, healthcare, technology, beauty and entrepreneurship were recognised during the seventh edition. International participants from Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Japan and China added a wider regional presence to the event.
A Career Rooted in Fashion and Events
Originally from Taplejung in eastern Nepal, Sherpa completed his schooling at Patan High School in Lalitpur before pursuing management studies and training in fashion design.
His interest in fashion gradually expanded into event management, where he began building a career that would eventually cover beauty pageants, fashion shows, entertainment productions and corporate events.
Sherpa entered the pageant and event sector in 2003 with Kid Queen Pokhara. He later took the event to Dharan, Biratnagar, Chitwan and Kathmandu while becoming involved in several other pageants and fashion-related productions.
Over the years, his event portfolio expanded considerably. A 2023 profile by The Annapurna Express reported that Sherpa had been involved in more than 300 events, including pageants and entertainment productions.
His work has placed him at the intersection of fashion, entertainment, event culture and creative entrepreneurship at a time when these industries have been steadily developing into more structured professional sectors in Nepal.
Taking Fashion Beyond the Runway
A major part of Sherpa’s more recent professional journey has centred on fashion education.
As Managing Director of IIFT School of Fashion & Interior Design, he has been involved in developing practical, industry-oriented learning in fashion and interior design.
IIFT operates centres in Bagbazar, Kamaladi and Kumaripati/Manbhawan and combines technical education with areas such as fashion marketing, modelling, media management, personality development and fashion-show management.
The approach reflects a wider shift in Nepal’s fashion sector. Fashion education today extends beyond garment design and the runway, connecting students with entrepreneurship, branding, marketing, events, media and other commercial aspects of the creative business.
More than 1,000 students had received fashion-design training through IIFT by 2023, according to a profile of Sherpa published that year.
IIFT has also received industry recognition, including the Best Fashion Academy Award in 2020, while Sherpa received a Corporate Business Excellence Award through IIFT in 2022.
Leadership Beyond the Classroom
Sherpa’s involvement in Nepal’s creative sector extends beyond education.
He has served as Vice President of the Beauty Pageant Association of Nepal (BPAN) and is listed as an Executive Member of the Nepal Chamber of Industries and Commerce, Kathmandu, representing Ideal Institute of Fashion Technology Pvt. Ltd.
These roles reflect the broader direction of a career that has moved between fashion education, event management, pageantry and entrepreneurship rather than remaining confined to one discipline.
The Excellence in Fashion Education Award 2026 adds another milestone to that journey, recognising Sherpa’s continuing association with fashion education and Nepal’s wider creative industry.
