The Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards has named Lecavalier the year’s top womenswear brand and Mr. Saturday the top menswear brand.

A weekend gala in Toronto reunited the industry's artists, influencers and business leaders following last year’s virtual edition, which celebrated winners from both 2020 and 2021.

Montreal-born Marie-Ève Lecavalier accepted the womenswear honour on behalf of her eponymous label, which earned a coveted slot at Paris Fashion Week last year. 

Toronto-based Joey Gollish, creative director and founder of Mr. Saturday, accepted the menswear prize for his irreverent streetwear brand.

Other top awards went to Melanie Auld for best accessory designer and Sentaler for best outerwear brand. Emerging talent prizes went to Kathryn Bowen in the fashion category and Maguire for accessories.

The outstanding achievement award went to the Montréal-based brand SSENSE, a global e-commerce platform that features a mix of established and emerging luxury brands.

Saturday’s event was co-hosted by model Grace Mahary and actress Karine Vanasse.

Brooke Wall, founder and CEO of The Wall Group, received the Vanguard Award for efforts to champion historically under-represented talent. 

The inaugural Changemaker Award, created to honour those who have spearheaded progressive change within the fashion industry, went to Sage Paul, artistic director of Indigenous Fashion Arts, and George Sully, creator of the Black Designers of Canada Index.

Other prizes included:

Fashion Innovation Award: Calico

Digital Fashion Creator of the Year: Myles Sexton

Fashion Design Student Award: Kevin Quang Thai Nguyen 

Model of the Year: Awar Odhiang

Image Maker of the Year: Justin Wu

Fresh Face of the Year: Willow Allen 

Stylist of the Year: Nariman Janghorban

Fashion Impact Award: Izzy Camilleri

Sustainability Award: Kelly Drennan, Fashion Takes Action  

Makeup Artist of the Year: Viktor Peters 

Hair Artist of the Year: Janet Jackson 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2022.