Amazon Canada Shines Light on Six Emerging Designers through Fashion Designer Spotlight Series

As a proud supporter of Canadian small businesses, Amazon is committed to fueling Canada’s fashion industry by providing a national, accessible platform for locally loved products. Amazon’s passion for invention doesn’t stop at its own platform – it extends to the designers it works with. Initiatives like the Amazon Designer Spotlight, hosted by celebrated Canadian stylist, Brad Goreski, are born from a passion for excellence and a desire to champion Canadian businesses.

The Amazon Designer Spotlight is back by popular demand for a second installment. The six-day video series on Amazon Canada’s Instagram channel (@amazonca) showcases six diverse rising stars in the fashion industry. With designers who come from all across Canada, the goal is to create an inclusive community for designers. Each video tells the story of each designer, taking viewers through their personal and professional journeys. How did they find the inspiration for their collections? While for some it was through heritage, for others it was through a desire to change how we perceive who clothes are “for”. To help give back to their communities and inspire the next generation of Canadian superstars, the designers also received Amazon-powered grants of $25,000 to donate to a local fashion initiative or organization.

“At Amazon, we are committed to fueling Canada’s fashion industry by giving locally-loved products a nationally accessible platform that helps them thrive,” said Vickie Gu, Head of Amazon Fashion in Canada. Adding that “Canadians rally around supporting small; this video series brings a sense of community to shopping from home by helping consumers feel connected to what they are wearing, and who they are supporting through these purchases.”

To celebrate the second year of the fashion series, Style Canada had the opportunity to learn more about the series and each designer.

Meet The Emerging Fashion Designers

L’Uomo Strano

Designed by Mic. Carter in Toronto, L’Uomo Strano creates bold and lively clothing and is committed to building wardrobe staples for gender-nonconforming people. The brand is focused on how clothing can celebrate self-expression and a foster a sense of community. To pay it forward, Mic. Carter shared their grant with the fashion department at the Toronto Metropolitan University. The program offers education in communication, design, textile and material practices and design leadership.

Hilary MacMillan

Hilary MacMillan is a designer and fashion-first lifestyle brand determined to make a statement with size inclusive clothing for women. Some of Hilary’s inspiration include her Scottish heritage, love of art, and Canadian landscapes, which can be found in her fun and trendy clothing. Hilary’s grant was shared with Blanche MacDonald Centre, a globally-recognized fashion, design, and beauty school in Vancouver.

Entin Gartini

An Indonesian brand and designer based in Montreal, Entin Gartini  is a self-taught designer, illustrator and author. She uses one-of-a-kind handmade batik designs that combines handmade fabric and colourful silhouettes. Entin chose to support Dress for Success through her grant, a non-profit organization that provides professional attire and development tools to help women gain economic independence.

Valmora

Valmora is a contemporary brand based out of Montreal. Matteo Valmora, the Founder and Designer of this label seeks to demolish binary conceptions of menswear by encouraging men to seek non-gender conforming fashion. The recipient of Valmora’s grant is to be announced.

Hunter & Trove

Hunter & Trove is a jewelry brand from Vancouver founded and designed by Yulee Harris. Yulee loves to create minimalist pieces that spark joy and create memories. Yulee looks beyond the shine of her jewellery to capture the meaning attached to each piece, which is often more than its petite size. Harris has selected a Vancouver program that educates students on the design, fabrication, and history of jewelry to receive her grant.

Mobilize Waskawewin

Mobilize Waskawewin is the sixth and last designer in the series. Mobilize Waskawewin is an Indigenous-owned streetwear brand from Edmonton. Described as “Street wear wit a Cree flair”, designer Dusty LeGrande aims to bring representation for Indigenous peoples and strives to empower, educate and help others find their identity. Dusty LeGrande shared his grant with The Next Gen Scholarship – a resource allowing for authentic sharing of knowledge, business, design and art practices to break barriers by supporting the next generation of designers.

To learn more about the Amazon Designer Spotlight and shop styles from these creators in Canadian fashion, visit amazon.ca/DesignerSpotlight.