About Western Canada Fashion Week
Photo: Kelly Rosborough
Western Canada Fashion Week (WCFW), which was established in 2003, has developed into a nationally-recognized fashion and design events and the second-largest Fashion Week in Canada. What sets us apart is our mission to create a community of all involved in the fashion and beauty industries, including media and production staff. WCFW demonstrates a commitment to the development of the fashion, art and design community through subsidizing all designers who showcase at our events, creating competitions that generate recognition and financial support for entrants, and providing year-round opportunities for designers to market collections and gain publicity. We are unique among fashion weeks around the world because we are a platform for established designers as well as an in-house incubator that discovers new talent and launches the careers of young designers. WCFW is a local event with a global vision, enabling our designers to work locally while reaching larger markets.
We are proud to have been a part of launching the careers of designers such as Sid Neigum, Caitlin Power, Derek Jagodzinsky (LUXX ready-to-wear), Malorie Urbanovitch, and Jessica Halabi as well as models such as Linsay Willier (Canada’s Next Top Model)and Ashley Callingbull (Mrs. Universe)
WCFW At a Glance
Main Events
March + September; runway shows Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton
Designers
Up to 50 local, national + international designers; notable past presenters include David Dixon, G-Star Raw, Izzy Cammerlleri, Joeffer Caoc, Paul Hardy, and Cherry Veric
Models
Up to 400 models per season The model range is very diversified and we offer the designers a chance to develop their own signature look and select the type of models that work best for their collection. For more information models@wcfw.ca
Audience
15,000+ attendees for WCFW + other fashion events per year
Notable Guests
Casey Affleck, Kreesha Turner, Lloyd Lewis (CTV), Mayor Mandel, Talla Rajaei (Big Brother Canada) Mayor Iveson
Notable Performers
Citie Ballet, Quentisha, Manuela Wüthrich, Ann Vreind, Edmonton Opera, Firefly Theatre, Martin Kerr, Jasmin Singh, Viva Dance, Brett Miles
Media Coverage
Extensive recognition including magazines – Avenue magazine, Elle Canada, Flare, LOULOU mag, Fashion Magazine. PHABRIK magazine TV- City TV , CTV TV , Global TV, Fashion TV Newspapers – Metro Edmonton & Toronto, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, Calgary Herald, Toronto Globe and Mail, The National Post, Vancouver Sun
Photos Over 1 million hits on official per season wcfwphotocentral Community Involvement- Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Global Women with Vision, Bavaria BMW fundraiser for Maier Centre for Autism Services, The Works Art and Design Festival, Couture for Cambodia,fundraiser for HIV Unique to WCFW
- Competitions to develop the design community such as the Emerging Designer Competition, Costume Design Competition, Hair & Makeup Competition, PHABRIKATED Design Competition
- Salon Showcase (featuring innovative hair teams and salons)
- Support for independent retailers, designers + local art communities
- Youth outreach programs
Incubator Program
Developed to nurture and support Western Canada’s young, local fashion entrepreneurs by providing them information needed to create a marketable line.