Under The Needle: Inside Canada’s Most Intense Fashion Showdown With Designer Taalrumiq

Every Friday, the stakes rise and the designs get sharper. With Project Runway Canada bringing a new wave of creativity to screens across the country, we’re diving behind the seams with the designers who dared to put everything on the line. VITA‘s exclusive interview series with the talented contestants explores the pressure, the process, and the passion behind the collections—revealing what really happens when talent meets a ticking clock. —Noa Nichol

Looking back at your time on Project Runway Canada, what moment or challenge best represents who you are as a designer — and why?

I would say a combination of Challenge 1 and 2. The denim dress with hooded capelet was a fun, flirty piece and showed my lighter side, while the evening wear reflected a more formal side. I do love to up-cycle, and having limited materials enhances my creativity, as seen in the denim dress and use of zippers as a sunburst detail. Working with the luxurious red and gold liquid satin fabric was a highlight. In all the challenges, you can see traditional Inuit design influences my work, yet they are contemporary pieces

The pressure in the workroom can bring out big breakthroughs or big lessons. What did the competition reveal about your creative process that you didn’t know before stepping onto the show?

I learned so many valuable lessons – about how I work with others in a competitive and team environment, how I react in a high pressure situation, and with the cameras around. Normally I work alone in my quiet, slow paced, home studio, as my work is very much slow fashion. I am flexible in design choices and part of my creative process is using intuition and embodied knowledge, allowing the material to guide me. Depending how you look at it, this may or may not have worked in my favour on the show! I also learned to work through my freeze response. Instead of being afraid to mess up and fail, I got over it, took a chance, and did the best I could considering the circumstances.

Every designer leaves with a signature moment. What do you hope viewers remember you for — whether it was a look, a risk you took, or something more personal?

I think viewers will remember the drama of my red and gold evening wear look, but I hope they appreciate that I had the courage to take a huge risk in the Avant-Garde challenge, though it didn’t pay off. I believe that’s where the biggest growth happens, are in those moments – having courage, taking risks, and sometimes failing.

Runway aside, the show brings together so many different personalities and perspectives. How did the relationships you formed—whether supportive or competitive—shape your experience?

The best part of my experience was the people. There would be no show without the Designers, and everyone came from varied backgrounds, with the personalities to match! I love being with other Creatives, especially fashion lovers, and we all quickly bonded over our love of everything fashion, even though we were there to compete with another. I became close with some of the Designers behind the scenes, and I’d like to maintain those connections going forward. It’s truly a privilege to have worked alongside all the Designers, there was a lot of laughter, support, and helping each other in our working processes. It’s definitely on my bucket list to attend their fashion shows in the future.

Now that you’ve left the competition, what’s next? Is there a project, collection, or direction you’re excited to pursue that was inspired by your time on the show?

I’m currently in my 2^nd year of the Master of Fine Art program at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, where my research focus is ancestral Inuvialuit fashion. I am working on my final draft of my thesis and final creative project – a collection of contemporary Inuvialuit fashion and accessories. I’m excited to use traditional materials in new designs, with storytelling and Inuvialuktun language components. Once I graduate, I’m looking forward to a long and impactful career exhibiting in fashion and visual arts. My work is set to be featured in art exhibitions in 2026, and I’m inspired to create new content for my social media channels. Having been on the show, I am excited for the future, for new possibilities!