The Official Nominees For CAFA 2017

The Official Nominees For CAFA 2017

The official nominees for the 4^th annual Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) were revealed last week at the Thompson Landry Gallery in Toronto. Voted on by an esteemed committee of leading professionals across a range of disciplines, such as design, media and innovation within the fashion industry, the 2017 CAFA nominees once again showcased the incredible talents we have in the fashion community and across the country. Canadian actress Karine Vanasse was invited to make the official announcement. Huge congratulations to all of the Canadian talents, including some of our friends who were among on the list.

“Canada is having a significant fashion moment – our talented designers and our growing retail landscape is making an impact on the industry,” says Suzanne Rogers, CAFA jury member and Canadian fashion supporter. “I am very proud to support CAFA and all of their efforts to ensure that our established and emerging talent receive the well-deserved recognition both nationally and internationally.”

The evening also unveiled that Montreal-based Rami Atallah, Co-founder and CEO of acclaimed fashion platform SSENSE, has been appointed the 2017 CAFA Honorary Chair. “Rami has always been on the frontier of innovation and change, artfully intersecting the worlds of fashion, business and technology,” says Vicky Milner, President of CAFA. “He has created a culture that is evolving how we interact with, relate to and consume fashion today. SSENSE is truly a shining example of a global Canadian success story.”

The Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Business Of Fashion (BoF), Imran Amed, will be honored with this year’s Hudson’s Bay Vanguard Award. “Hudson’s Bay is delighted to honor Imran Amed with the CAFA Vanguard Award,” said Liz Rodbell, President of Hudson’s Bay. “With BoF, Imran has created one of today’s most esteemed and respected sources for of-the-moment news and in-depth looks at the global fashion landscape. He is a visionary, a thought-leader and is incredibly deserving this prestigious award.”

Like previous years, the 2017 CAFA jury, comprised of national and international fashion leaders, will select the winner of each category. The winners will be announced at the red carpet gala, taking place on April 7^th 2017 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

Here are the official CAFA 2017 nominees:

The Womenswear Designer of the Year Award

Beaufille

Lucian Matis

Sid Neigum

Smythe

The Menswear Designer of the Year Award

Bustle

Christopher Bates

Feral

The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Fashion

House of Nonie

Malorie Urbanovitch

Maram

Matthew Gallagher

The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Accessories

Daniel Christian Tang

Garema

Jon De Porter

Poppy Barley

The Accessory Designer of the Year Award

Dean Davidson

Jenny Bird

Sully Wong

The Joe Fresh Fashion Innovation Award

Salesfloor

Dash Hudson

OMsignal

Simons Fashion Design Student Award

Adrian Zhao

Alex Armata

Curtis Oland

Xiaoyi Li

The Image Maker of the Year Award

Caitlin Cronenberg

Max Abadian

Owen Bruce

The International Candian Designer of the Year Award

Erdem

Tanya Taylor

Vejas Kruszewski

The Stylist of the Year Award

Cary Tauben

Elizabeth Cabral

Juliana Schiavinatto

The Model of the Year Award

Crista Cober

Meghan Collison

Pamela Bernier

Paolo Roldan

The Sephora Fresh Face of the year Award

Ariel Himbeault

Elizabeth Davison

Emm Arruda

Sophie Touchet

The Fashion Impact Award

Christopher Paunil

David Dixon

Far and Wide Collective

Wear Your Label

The Digital Fashion Influencer of the Year Award

Alexander Liang

Ania Boniecka for Ania B

Caillianne and Samantha Beckerman for Beckerman Blog

Leading up to the CAFA gala, there will be The Kit Connect Conference and The CAFA Fashion & Retail Forum, both events are set to connect industry professionals, sharing ideas and making connections with one another as a collaborative effort to further enhance the future of the Canadian fashion industry.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again in Toronto.

xx Do the things you are passionate about; Learn from ones who inspire you; Strive to become an expert at what you do xx

Binzento Vincente: A Fashion & Lifestyle Blog