FASHION Magazine

Just when you thought you’d take some recovery time from Black Friday, we have news of some of our favourite homegrown designers gearing up for end-of-year sample sales and noteworthy pop up shops and holiday promos. You watched their designs sashayed on the Fall 2013 runways and made notes of your favourite pieces: now’s your chance to get that wishlist into your closet at discounted prices.

See the Mercedes-Benz Start Up Spring 2014 collections »

It was a tough decision.

So tough, in fact, that choosing a winner of the Mercedes Benz Start Up competition at World MasterCard Fashion Week proved impossible.

So last night, the judges, including myself, did the only possible thing we could think of: we declared two winners.

Edmonton’s Malorie Urbanovitch and Montreal’s Matiere Noire share the prize: mentoring from industry experts, editorial coverage in FASHION Magazine, and a runway show at the Fall 2014 collections in Toronto. Judge and Holt Renfrew’s vice president Ruth Ann Lockart lauded Urbanovitch’s strategic decision to focus her business on washed silks, a market niche. Her pale, loose-cut dresses were topped with chunky Italian-made knits that have a whiff of modern grunge.

See all the looks from the Mercedes Benz Start Up finals! »

And the winner is: DUY! Last night, the search for the Spring 2013 winner of the Mercedes Benz Start Up competition came to a close and Montreal designer Duy Nguyen was crowned the victor.

Pitted against seven other designers from across Canada, Nguyen’s dreamy pieces impressed the judges (including our editor-in-chief, Bernadette Morra) and secured his spot at the top of the podium. The DUY Spring 2013 collection was California girl meets New York, pairing structured suits with flowing chiffons and short-shorts with strong, collarless blazers. Nguyen was inspired by the French who are “very easy going” yet the collection was not necessarily reflective of Canadians—but worry not, as he told us that “fashion is about dreaming.” There was also a tinge of nostalgia, as silhouettes were very ’80s with crocheted knit tops and a modern version of the mom jean. The palette was simple and airy with seafoam greens, crèmes and baby blues but was punched up with a bright red-orange dress and short suit that featured cutouts. These pieces were winners in their own right.