TORONTO -- The newly minted champion of a lucrative prize for emerging designers has notched yet another victory tied to the contest -- and a famed animated character.
On Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz Start Up winner Sid Neigum was honoured for his creative take on Minnie Mouse after designing a winning outfit inspired by the Disney icon.
On Monday night, Neigum was awarded the top prize in the Start Up contest at Toronto's World MasterCard Fashion Week, earning a fully produced runway show, an editorial spread in Fashion Magazine and a cash award in the form of a $30,000 bursary.
As an additional element to this year's Start Up program, all six finalists were tasked with creating a Minnie-inspired design. Disney was a sponsor of both the contest and Fashion Week.
The Alberta-born, Toronto-based Neigum opted to translate the modular origami style which inspired his latest collection into his interpretation of the character and was awarded $2,500.
Each finalist brought a unique vision to the design challenge.
Montreal-based Valerie Tolila of the label Vaiken researched Minnie from the 1920s and gave the look a fresh take, with a plastic A-line skirt studded with Swarovski crystals worn atop a crepe dress.
Diego Fuchs, who designs Blak.I with Helder Aguiar, opted for a modern interpretation with use of colour-blocking, featuring a mix of polka dot prints in the character's signature red, black and white hues.
Laura Siegel sought a more relaxed approach, trading the polka dots for a star print adorned on a caftan.
