This is a little back play back, but not too far distant in the past DANIER held a design contest for Ryerson Fashion Design students to have the opportunity to have their take on the leather jacket. First place was $5,000, alongside a design that would be sold in select DANIER retail locations (talk about your big break). From the words of Jeffrey Wortsman, mister CEO:

“We at DANIER have been thrilled to be able to give students superior insight and knowledge into the world of leather; we hope that this competition has both inspired a new generation of leather designers and has introduced some exciting new Canadian fashion design talent to the public.”

Wittled down from 65 initial sketches to 15 contestants, designs were chosen in the beloved crowd-sourced way of voting and engaging. It’s almost as if the general public chooses the winners (power to the people!)

Congrats to John Hillifer (winner), Pamela Card (2nd Place), and Tanya Wiebe (3rd Place).