Up-and-comers took centre stage at World MasterCard Fashion Week last Tuesday night (October 23rd) for the Mercedes-Benz Start Up, a progressive national program designed to discover and mentor rising Canadian fashion designers. The young finalists were selected from a countrywide search where designers presented their collections and business plans to a panel of industry experts and local media for their chance to travel to Toronto for the 2012 finale, a recent and refreshing addition to Fashion Week.
Now in its second year, the 2012 season closed with a much anticipated group show finale at the tents where these talented young designers presented their Spring 2013 collections to an audience of media, buyers, fashion insiders, celebrities, VIPs, and a seasoned panel of judges, complete with video introductions that revealed each collection’s unique personality. These judges have seen a fashion show or two in their day; they included names like Bernadette Morra (Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Magazine), Barbara Atkin (Fashion Director of Holt Renfrew), fashion personality and expert Jeanne Beker and Robin Kay (President of the Fashion Design Council of Canada).
Just minutes after the show, the judges spoke and Montreal’s high-end, ready-to-wear line DUY (Duy Nguyen) was selected as the 2012 Mercedes-Benz Start Up winner. Among many perks, Nguyen will receive mentoring from a prestigious group of industry experts including successful designers, show producers, buyers, sales representatives, journalists, marketing and PR professionals, accountants and attorneys as they prepare for a fully produced solo runway show during Toronto Fashion Week’s Fall 2013 collections in March. His collection will be editorially featured in Fashion Magazine and in numerous other local and international media outlets. For a designer with less than five years of industry experience (a requirement for the program) this is a dream come true.
Energy levels rang high backstage after the show, where we caught up with Bernadette Morra, who praised Nguyen for his “original ideas, knitted denim, well tailored jackets with a modern spin and unique styles,” that left her “hungry for more.” A beaming Nguyen stopped to chat for a few moments before greeting waiting friends. Here are the conversation vitals:
His biggest inspiration from a business perspective is Giorgio Armani. “Armani started with nothing and built a million dollar company. He was not owned by a company, he did it all himself.”
Friends play a vital role in his success. “The greatest lesson I have learned is to make as many friends as you can; you either need a lot of money or a lot of friends. My friends have been so supportive and are always doing things to promote and help me, some even cleaned my studio last week. I am very lucky.”
Being a fashion designer isn’t all that glamorous. “I often find that interns don’t realize how hard it really is. It is not all glamour, especially in our country. We have a harder time here, really have to pound the pavement, fight and work round-the-clock in our early careers. We didn’t have as much of a support system in fashion until recently. “
He stays energized by remaining focused. “It is easy not to get burned out when you are doing things that you love. I do this for the love of fashion; I breathe it, only think about it, and want to know everything I can about the industry.”
Other bright and brilliant designers featured included Caitlin Power (Toronto), Christopher Bates (Toronto), Dreamboat Lucy (Charlottetown), Lauren Bagliore (Calgary), Malorie Urbanovitch (Edmonton), Nicole Campre (Edmonton), and Pure Magnolia (Vancouver). Stay tuned later this week as each of the finalists reveal who their biggest business inspiration is and offer a few words of wisdom.