Canada, the catwalk is calling! The Crave Original series PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA, the Canadian adaptation of the globally renowned fashion competition series, premieres on Friday, Nov. 14, with new episodes streaming Fridays until the finale on Jan. 16.
Also announced today are the 12, talented Canadian designers set to sketch, snip, and sew their way through a series of challenges for their ultimate industry breakthrough.
As previously announced, PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA is hosted by renowned Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha, who also joins the judging panel alongside fashion media icon Jeanne Beker, and CAFA award-winning designer Spencer Badu. Providing designer mentorship is Vice Chair of the Council of the Fashion Designers of America, Aurora James. The exciting lineup of guest judges joining the panel each week is set to be announced soon.
Over 10 episodes, PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA brings some of the country’s most exciting designers together to compete in a captivating series of challenges, with surprises and twists along the way. The designers share their stories and unique runway creations as they compete for the title of Canada’s Next Great Designer, from TD, a career launching investment of $100,000, and a coveted feature spread in an upcoming issue of Elle Canada magazine.
The series was filmed earlier this year at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and produced in collaboration with Fashion at The Creative School.
Meet the class of 12 Canadian designers ready to deliver bold designs, and unforgettable runway moments:
Name: Naimo Awale
City: Spruce Grove, AB
Instagram:@ninanayema
TikTok: @ninanayema
Blending heritage with modern glamour, Naimo Awale is a small-town designer with big-city flair, sewing her name into the fashion world one stitch at a time. A self-taught visionary from Somalia, Naimo’s label, Nina Nayema, has appeared at Milan and Paris Fashion Week and in Today’s Bride Magazine. Her East African-inspired designs, rich with bold colours and regal silhouettes, have caught the attention of music stars like Mýa.
Name: Delayne Dixon
City: Kamloops, BC
Instagram: @delaynedixon
TikTok: @delaynedixon
Delayne Dixon is a fashion designer with 14 years of experience and is a strong advocate for mental health initiatives. Originally from Fairview, Alberta, and now based in Kamloops, BC, she graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver in 2012 before showing her line Delayne Dixon at New York, Paris, and Amsterdam Fashion Weeks. Known for her “Mob Wife-meets-sustainability” aesthetic, she creates bold silhouettes with intricate details that embody power and femininity.
Name: Maya Ginzburg
City: Montréal, QC
Instagram: @mayaginzburg & @bymayaginzburg
TikTok: @urneighborhoodmaya
Maya Ginzburg is a self-taught designer who completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours, and despite completing the MCAT chose instead to follow her true passion: fashion. She’s worked with major fashion brands, and as Fashion Lead for a mobile styling game, before building her brand @bymayaginzburg. Centred on “outrageous basics,” Maya creates bold, sustainable, historically inspired, and gender-inclusive designs, like her bestselling customizable Cowboy Wrap Pants. She also produces a growing YouTube and podcast series exploring fashion history.
Name: Taalrumiq
City: Terrace, BC
Instagram: @taalrumiq
TikTok: @taalrumiq
Taalrumiq is an Inuvialuk & Gwich’in artist and designer from Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, now based in Terrace, BC. Drawing on ancestral sewing knowledge, she weaves traditional forms with contemporary fashion through her cultural and creative label, Taalrumiq. A “TikTok Canada Visionary Voice” and multi-time participant in the Banff Centre’s Indigenous Haute Couture Residency, her work has appeared in Vogue.com and Time Magazine.
Name: Charles Lu
City: Hamilton, ON
Instagram: @charles___lu & @charles_lu
TikTok: @charlesluofficial
Charles Lu is a Hamilton-based designer who merges technical skills with personal storytelling. Trained at the Istituto Marangoni in London and a former Creative Director in Dubai, he now leads his label CHARLES LU, blending bold minimalism with sculptural tailoring.
Name: Curtis Matysek
City: Toronto, ON
Instagram: @wutheringdelight
TikTok: @wutheringdelight
Curtis Matysek is a designer with a passion for corsetry and historical silhouettes. With both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Fashion from Toronto Metropolitan University, they balance teaching with their label Wuthering Delight. Curtis reimagines 18th-century styles through a queer lens, creating one-of-a-kind corsets and boundary-pushing designs. Their work has been featured in Vogue and worn by singer/songwriter Saya Gray.
Name: Little Feather Migwans
City: Toronto, ON
Instagram: @lil_feather_designs_
TikTok: N/A
Little Feather stitches Indigenous culture into luxe outerwear and bold silhouettes. Originally from Mnidoo Mnising Spirit island, 2 reserves M’chigeeng First Nation & Wiikwemikong, she is now based in Toronto. She is the founder of Little Feather Couture and studied at George Brown College and twice participated in Banff Centre’s Indigenous Haute Couture residency.
Name: Leeland Mitchell
City: Toronto, ON
Instagram: @leelandxo
TikTok: N/A
Known for bold silhouettes and unconventional materials, Leeland Mitchell is a Toronto-based drag and costume designer working under the label Made by Leelando. Growing up at his family’s dry-cleaning shop, he inherited a love of fabric and design from his mother. Entirely self-taught, Leeland has dressed Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, Avril Lavigne, and queens from CANADA’S DRAG RACE.
Name: Catherine (Cat) Préfontaine
City: Montréal, QC
Instagram: @maisonprefontaine & @catprefontaine
TikTok: @maisonprefontaine
Catherine Préfontaine is the founder of Maison Préfontaine, a Montréal-based label that blends Western flair with urban edge and balances raw textures with runway-ready detail. After studying Fashion Design at Cégep Marie-Victorin, she built her brand from scratch dressing stars like Marina Bastarache, Lou-Pascal Tremblay, and Alli Walker, and appeared at Montreal’s M.A.D. Festival.
Name: Rome Ramsay
City: Toronto, ON
Instagram: @vveyago & @romeramsayy
TikTok: @vveyago
Rome Ramsay is a self-taught, self-financed Jamaican-Canadian designer based in Toronto. He went from runway model to disruptor, showing his label Vveyago at Fashion Art Toronto and winning the Fashn Disrptr award in 2024. His looks, worn by Burna Boy and Drag Superstar Brooke Lynn Hytes, fuse avant-garde drama with streetwear edge, often with video game-inspired touches.
Name: Naomi Shindak
City: Winnipeg, MB
Instagram: @showponynaomi & @abnoxiousdesigns
TikTok: @showponynaomi
Naomi Shindak is a Winnipeg-based designer and founder of Abnoxious, a brand known for fearless individuality. She crafts eclectic designs that mash sexy form-fits with oversized silhouettes. She’s influenced by denim, 70s swagger, and maximalist prints, and thrives under pressure.
Name: Foster Siyawareva
City: Toronto, ON
Instagram: @siyawareva
TikTok: @siyawareva7
Foster Siyawareva is a Zimbabwean-Canadian designer based in Toronto. He trained at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, before launching his label, Siyawareva at Fashion Art Toronto. Blending timeless elegance with fresh twists, his collections reflect both technical skill and deep personal meaning.