In the midst of the ‘Made in Canada’ movement, we are seeing some great Canadian TV hitting our screens. In 2025, Crave, Bell Media and Fremantle Canada announced the return of Project Runway Canada executive produced and hosted by Coco Rocha.
The show was star-studded, with mentor Aurora James, judge Spencer Badu and judge Jeanne Beker – an icon! Guest judges include Jason Wu, Mei Pang, Christian Siriano and more. After 12 contestants fought and sewed their way through many competitions including collaborations with Giant Tiger, Joe Fresh, and Cashmere Collection – the final three were Hamilton native, Charles Lu, Toronto based designer Curtis Matysek and Toronto designer Leeland Mitchell who took home the crown, $100,000 from TD bank and a spread in Elle Canada Magazine with Ms. Rocha herself.
Sitting with Lu, Matysek and Mitchell they shared the realities of the competition, explaining that it was fully immersive until the 7 weeks where they had to build their own collections but during that time, with no camera’s present, they still worked for 15 hours a day. Mitchell shares, “You saw us working non-stop. It truly was go, go, go. We would start at 8am and finish at 10pm or 11pm in the work room.”
Lu shares his hardest challenge was the bathroom tissue episode, “Because it was held at the midway point, just trying to get past that hump was difficult. I had fun but it was still a challenge. Mitchell adds, “The Joe Fresh challenge was so difficult. We couldn’t alter the original piece in any way while also creating a new piece around it.” Matysek shares that the team challenge felt like a three-in-one, “We were still getting to know each other, were still navigating the work room and the cameras but also having to create something avant guard, while in teams, and using an unconventional material – it was difficult.”
When asked about any alterations or changes they would make, even now that they’ve grown their skillset, all three competitors maintain that the garments they made represented who they were at that time. They lived through Project Runway Canada with no regrets and wouldn’t make any changes.
Mitchell’s plans for his win? Braces, a dog and of course – to expand the brand! Both Lu and Matysek want to expand into Ready-to-Wear and have more offerings to stoppable items.
All three hope that there will be more opportunities for Canadian Fashion to shine. Lu hopes more people are able and willing to buy more Canadian items and invest financially in Canada. Matysek adds that he hopes the show will be the spark that reignites some of the love and recognition of the home grown talent we have in Canada.
Will there be a season 2? It would seem the finalists and winner hope so – and I think Canada does too!
Watch the full interview here!
Hillary LeBlanc
Latest posts by Hillary LeBlanc (see all)
- Canada Shore is Reality TV at it’s Peak - January 27, 2026
- Project Runway Canada Finalists Plan to Champion Canadian Fashion - January 25, 2026