TORONTO - Emerging homegrown talents will join established designers on the runway at Toronto Fashion Week later this fall to unveil stylish new looks for the warmer months.
Organizers of the semi-annual event, known as World MasterCard Fashion Week, unveiled their lineup for spring-summer 2013 collections on Friday.
Retailer Holt Renfrew, womenswear label Pink Tartan and luxury fashion house Pavoni are scheduled to kick off festivities at David Pecaut Square beginning on Oct. 22.
Affordable apparel brand Joe Fresh, sportswear label Bustle, luxury womenswear label VAWK and womenswear designers David Dixon and Lucian Matis are among the notable names returning to the runway.
Whitney Linen, Paraezo Couture and plus-sized clothing line Allistyle are among the newer names featured on the calendar.
A crop of up-and-coming Canadian designers will be in the spotlight on Oct. 23 as judges select the winning label in the Mercedes-Benz Start Up contest. The initiative was launched in 2011 in an bid to offer a nationwide platform to discover and support emerging designers who've been in business less than five years.
Labels vying for the top prize include: P.E.I. sibling design duo Hilary and Louanna Murphy from Dreamboat Lucy, Edmonton-based Malorie Urbanovitch, Montrealer Duy Nguyen of DUY, Calgary-born, Toronto-based womenswear designer Caitlin Power, and Milan-trained, Toronto-based menswear designer Christopher Bates.
Rounding out the final list are three wild-card entrants: Calgary's Lauren Bagliore, Edmonton's Nicole Campre, and Vancouver's Patty Nayel of Pure Magnolia.
The winner will receive a fully-produced solo runway show for fall 2013 collections next March in addition to editorial coverage in Fashion Magazine and mentorship support from fashion industry experts and insiders.
The week-long marquee fashion event will have new leadership at the helm this season.
In August, it was announced the semi-annual style showcase would be owned by IMG Canada and operated in collaboration with IMG Fashion, a worldwide leader in fashion event production and management.
IMG takes over the reins from the Fashion Design Council of Canada, the non-profit organization which owned and produced Fashion Week in Toronto for 13 years.
The Toronto event now joins a roster of other international fashion weeks owned and commercially represented by IMG Fashion such as those staged in New York, London, Milan, Berlin, Australia, Tokyo, Mumbai, Istanbul, Miami and Russia.
Fashion Week runs from Oct. 22-26.
