From: ASAP
Toronto, Canada - Four bright, young designer labels are named to headline the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s (TFI) Fall 2004 New Labels® Fashion Design Competition and Show. Hannah Tikkanen of Wonderlust; Alia and Jamil Juma of Juma; Nada El-Khazen of Nada; and Elizabeth Consiglio and John-Paul Guarraci of Hyphen are the hand-chosen few that will get their chance to wow Canadian fashion media and buyers at Toronto Fashion Week this spring 2004.
“New Labels is the professionally executed and affordable opportunity that gave me the chance to present my early collections to the industry and generate excellent exposure,”says TFI alumnus Joeffer Caoc.
Designers will showcase their fall 2004 collections to an anticipated audience of more than 500 of fashion’s elite. Stay tuned for a date confirmation.
Judges Rita Silvan, editor-in-chief, Elle Canada; Joeffer Caoc, designer, Misura; Debra Anissimoff, buyer, Zola; and Chazz Balkwell, producer, Fashion 411 TV and owner of WOMAN Cosmetics and WOMAN Salon, reviewed applications from across the country in search of the final four.
“Original ideas and new talent are the lifeblood of any industry, but they are essential in fashion,” says Silvan of the process. “The New Labels program goes beyond the platitudes and provides real support to young designers in Canada. Elle Canada is honoured to partner with TFI to help build the fashion stars of tomorrow.”
The final four will compete to win a $1,000 cash prize from Elle Canada and a one-page editorial in the magazine, a one-year Outreach membership to the TFI and participation in the New Labels fall 2004 show at no cost, featuring 15 runway models from B&M Models. Presenting sponsor for the March 2004 event is Elle Canada. Gold sponsors are B&M Models and TD Canada Trust.
Tikkanen of Wonderlust is a TFI resident and native of Vancouver. She studied fashion at the Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design and apprenticed with designer Lauren Leibovitz before starting her own company in 2003. Juma is designed by sister-brother duo Alia and Jamil Juma. Alia studied fashion at George Brown College and interned with Damzels In This Dress and Peach Berserk. Jamil studied biosystems engineering at McGill University and worked as an investment strategist before launching Juma with his sister in 2003. Prior to starting Nada in 2002, El-Khazen studied fashion design at the International Academy of Design and worked with knitwear designer Ronda Bean for two years. Earlier this year, El-Khazen was a semi-finalist in the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant. Consiglio and Guarraci are the creators behind the Hyphen streetwear line. Launched in 2002, Hyphen is available in stores across Canada. Consiglio is a Seneca College grad; Guarraci is an alumnus of The ! Ontario College of Art and Design.
The designers have one month to prepare for the next stage in the competition: the jury evaluation of seven show outfits. In January 2004 the judges will make their winning decision based on the innovation, quality, fit and marketability of the final collection. A press conference to be held at the TFI on January 28, 2004, will announce the competition winner and showcase the four finalists’clothing on models.
To learn more go to www.fashionincubator.on.ca
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