The designers meet their host, Iman, on a glamorous yacht and are given 30 minutes to create an outfit with very limited materials. Later the designers learn the competition has only just begun and they must now each create an innovative look using only the clothes from another competitor’s suitcase.
On a trip to the park, a mass of lost and broken umbrellas is revealed as the challenge fabric. The designers race to choose the best of the broken umbrellas to create a cocktail dress. The twist is that the designers must utilize all of the fabric from the umbrellas they have chosen.
Faced with the challenge of creating a new look for a Bratz doll, the designers go to a party to consult with the "experts": 12-year-old girls!
The designers have to design the season’s must-have item. After a visit to a Winners flagship store, they are split into groups of three and told that they're designing a three-piece look based on a piece that they find at Winners.
The eight remaining designers are challenged to create a performance outfit for Canada’s opera darling Measha Brueggergosman to wear during her upcoming North American tour. The twist is that Maesha is known for only singing barefoot.
The designers are required to pair off into teams of two, which means one of the five previously eliminated contestants gets a second chance. The designers must pick a pair of opposites that will drive their design, but learn later that their two cohesive looks must reflect both day and evening wear.
The remaining designers are asked to create a dress with "hope" as their inspiration. The dresses are bid upon at a charity event hosted by Iman, with the proceeds going towards AIDS research in Africa.
The designers must creat two bathing suits inspired from vintage fashion looks- one for their regular model, and one for a plus size woman.
The remaining designers go on a field trip to California to find inspiration in order to create resort fashion, and meet one of their counterparts from the US Project Runway competition.
They are down to the last Challenge before the finale, but one more designer will not make the cut. The competitors are told to design the outfit to be worn by Iman at the finale at Toronto Fashion week.
The three finalists show their collections at L’Oréal Fashion Week in Toronto to determine who will win the first Project Runway Canada.
In the premiere episode, the country’s most talented up-and-coming designers are sent straight to the fashion front lines. Host Iman and Mentor Brian Bailey greet the designers at the Canadian War Museum and deliver the first challenge. Drama ensues when two designers face the toughest – and most surprising challenge of their fashion careers. It’s a race against time as the designers prepare to show their first creations at a special, public runway show. Joe Zee, Creative Director of U.S. ELLE magazine, joins the judging panel, which declares the season’s first challenge winner and the first eliminated designer.
On the runway, Iman surprises the designers by introducing their special celebrity muse - Canadian sweetheart and Hollywood A-list celebrity Elisha Cuthbert. The opportunity to dress a celebrity can make or break a new designer and the tension causes some designers to crack under the pressure. Elisha Cuthbert joins the judges and selects the winning outfit she will wear on a night out in Hollywood. As always, one designer doesn’t measure up and is sent packing. Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert burst onto the American scene as Kiefer Sutherland’s daughter, "Kimberly Bauer," in the critically acclaimed FOX/Global series 24. Cuthbert’s portrayal earned her a nomination for a 2002 Teen Choice Award for "Breakout TV Actress." She also received a 2005 SAG Nomination as part of the 24 cast in the category of “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.” Cuthbert will soon be seen in the romantic dramedy, My Sassy Girl.
The designers’ creative skills and knowledge of fashion history is put to the test. Working in teams of three, they must create a couture collection inspired by an iconic fashion house. The designers learn that their fabric for this challenge has a history, too. Iman makes a surprise trip to the workroom and shares her experiences of working with the greatest names in fashion. Iconic designer Wayne Clark joins the judging panel to declare a winner and send another designer home. With nearly 30 years of experience in the fashion industry, Wayne Clark has created a brand that is synonymous with glamour and luxury. He studied at Sheridan College and apprenticed with Hardy Amies and Ossie Clark in London, England. Wayne Clark returned to Toronto in the late ’70’s where he began his own collection and the legend was born. Wayne Clark’s gowns are sold around the world and have been worn by celebrities as diverse as Jane Fonda, Cindy Crawford and Vivica A. Fox
