The biggest night in Canadian fashion came back with a bang. After the 2020 ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic (thanks again for that!), the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) returned on May 19, looking a little different than usual. Hosted virtually by Canadian actor Amanda Brugel, the seventh annual awards ceremony — which, in the past, has highlighted well-known names like Brother Vellies’ Aurora James and Sid Neigum — celebrated emerging talent and impactful designers initially announced in 2020. Among the winners? Model, author (and history maker as CoverGirl’s oldest spokesperson!) Maye Musk (the Outstanding Achievement Award honoree) and global lifestyle brand October’s Very Own (unfortunately, no virtual Drizzy showed). Plus, there was an appearance from Insta-famous icon Tika the Iggy as well as Sophie Grégoire Trudeau!
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And after a year of being cooped up indoors in sweats and pjs, celebrating was the major theme of this year’s ceremony, toasting new designers, exciting achievements, and a (hopeful) return to enjoying fashion as Canada heads towards a one-dose summer.
Other notable highlights? In the first award of the evening, Juno-nominated artist Charlotte Cardin presented Accessory Designer of the Year to millennial-beloved jewelry brand Mejuri and its founder Noura Sakkijha. Just in time for summer hat weather, Montreal-based hatmakers Fumile took home the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Accessory Designs. The recipients of this award, along with its sister award for Emerging Talent in Fashion Design, receive $10,000 in funding as well as a year of mentorship from industry leaders. New York-based, Toronto-born designer Victoria Hayes, whose spring/summer 2020 collection was iconically inspired by the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA Championship win, took home the latter prize.
Celeb makeup artist and lead artist for Maybelline NY Grace Lee was honoured as the make-up artist of the year. The industry veteran is known for her iconic beats on runway models around the world and for giving models like Gigi Hadid and Josephine Skriver some of their most best red-carpet looks.
In the CAFAs equivalent to the Oscars best actor and actress categories, the awards for Womenswear Designer of the Year and Menswear Designer of the Year went to Greta Constantine and 3. Paradis, respectively. Toronto-based Greta Constantine, helmed by Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill and and named after the pairs’ respective mother and grandmother, has dressed the likes of Viola Davis, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and thee Amanda Gorman (the latter on the cover of TIME, no less).
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While the evening was one of celebration, there was also an emphasis on giving back, an unsurprising theme given the past year. Jewellery brand Brass & Unity, which donates 20% of net profits to help rehabilitate soldiers and first responders, was nominated for The Fashion Impact Award. The brand partnered with the CAFAs and Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) during the awards show, with 50% of profits from their Quattro Bracelet sold helping fund mental health research.
In potentially the biggest news of the night, Hudson’s Bay announced the launch of the Hudson’s Bay Fashion Fund, an initiative to mentor and support up-and-coming BIPOC designers in Canada. Each year, the fund will award one designer with a $25,000 grant, along with a three-year mentorship program. The announcement of the fund comes on the heels of another announcement earlier this month. In early May, the Suzanne Rogers Designer Grant, which was a part of the awards ceremony up until 2019, was “deferred.” The announcement came after Rogers was criticized online for posting images with former U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida.
An exciting night all around.
Here is a full list of the 2021 CAFA winners:
The Accessory Designer of the Year – Mejuri
The Joe Fresh Fashion Innovation Award – Sheertex
The Simons Fashion Design Student Award – Pierre-Olivier Allard
The Image Maker of the Year – Greg Swales
The Hudson’s Bay Stylist of the Year – Corey Ng
The Fresh Face of the Year – Shayna McNeill
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The Fashion Impact Award – Lesley Hampton
The Digital Fashion Creator of the Year Award– Donté Colley
The Tricon Sustainability Award – Kent
The Womenswear Designer of the Year – Greta Constantine
The International Canadian Designer Award – Tanya Taylor
The Menswear Designer of the Year – 3. Paradis
The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Fashion – Victoria Hayes
The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, Accessories – Fumile
The Outerwear Brand of the Year – ARC’TERYX
The Model of the Year – Mae Lapres
Makeup Artist of the Year – Grace Lee
Hair Artist of the Year Award – Steve Turpin
2021 Vanguard Award – October’s Very Own (OVO), Oliver El-Khatib
2021 Outstanding Achievement Award – Maye Musk
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