FASHION Magazine

See the looks from Western Canada Fashion Week»

Running seasonally for eight straight nights since its inception in 2005, Western Canada Fashion Week (WCFW) offers a platform for both emerging and veteran designers alike to showcase their work in a province that is relatively new to the fashion scene. Alongside expert-affirmation from the Mercedes-Benz Start Up judges last week, we can certainly say that there is some sparkle out west.

From Edmonton darling Nicole Campre, this season’s WCFW Emerging Designer contest winner, to long-time mens and womenswear designer Stanley Carroll, WCFW is nurturing some exciting talent each season at the TransAlta Arts Barns—and here are a few to check out:

View the winning collection »

Edmonton had never seen anything like it before. Over the course of two short days, fashion industry experts from New York and Toronto bulldozed into a city of over a million people and changed its fashion beat.

The Mercedes-Benz Start Up program, now in its second year, has again begun its search for the next big Canadian designer, and last night, asked five of the top designers (after a grueling day of interviews with the top 10), to show their collections at the semi-final runway show at David Morris Fine Cars, an Edmonton Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Local designers and boutiques are getting ready to show their Fall 2009 offerings at Edmonton Fashion Week (April 2 to 9, from $15, 780-420-1757, tixonthesquare.ca, or at the door. Visit edmontonfashionweek.ca). The shows at the Transalta Arts Barns (10330-84 Ave.) will feature new talent from the University of Alberta’s Textiles and Clothing program, along with EFW regulars like Stanley Carroll, Nokomis and C’est Sera.