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

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 think it’s a bit of a tie between the denim runway and the transformation challenge. In the Canadian tuxedo challenge I had full creative and conceptual freedom, only limited by the material, and in the Joe Fresh transformation challenge, I was playing more in a commercial sense, designing for a particular person. Both are important parts of fashion, and they are two of my favourite looks I produced during the competition. They represent fashion as an art medium, but also one of the core pieces of humanity; self-adornment. I believe that creativity is inextricably linked to human nature, and while not everyone pursues art as their main passion, we can all express our creativity–our humanity–through the clothes we wear.

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 generally don’t like to sketch unless I am doing something very technical. Usually, I make many rough sketches of various options and ideas to try, and then a more formal sketch after mocking up the concept. On the show you have such limited time that you have no choice but to sketch from the start, and I found myself stuck in that original concept having a hard time shifting my idea. The Cashmere episode was a bit of a wakeup call, I was so affected by the context of the challenge, that I got stuck on an idea which nearly led me to going home. While it was emotionally difficult, the harsh critiques snapped me out of it. The following episode I forced myself to make some hard decisions and shifted my design countless times. At the same time, it is also important to know when to stick to your beliefs. At the end of the day, fashion, like art, is entirely subjective, and you have to accept the critiques that help you grow, but also retain the core of what makes your work, yours.

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 hope people remember me for my character. I believe in myself, I work hard, and I am never willing to give up. I put out seven complete and technically complex looks that reflect my goals and values as a designer. At the same time I made some close friends, and I strove to always lead with kindness, calm, and positivity. Even on my worst day, if you ask me how it’s going, I will always say: it’s going. I feel my feelings, I live life’s ups and downs, and I try to ride the wave. I keep going.

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?

I think the show did a really great job of selecting designers with very different styles, no one was fighting for the same spot in the same lane, so it made it a lot easier for friendships to form. Honestly, I think I connected with every single designer, some people you resonate with more, but as a group it was such a blessing to be surrounded with these people. As a self-taught designer, I have never really had that camaraderie of going through design assignments alongside others. There is a wonderful sense of community, and I am grateful for the experience. I have also never gotten formal feedback. While I have a tendency to love my ideas and my work, I simultaneously feel like everyone around me is telling me they like it just because they love me. Getting to discuss my work with both Aurora and the judges was incredibly valuable–if not always positive–and the fact that I got to speak to and learn from such successful and inspirational people will always stay with me.

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?

Now that my time in the competition has come to a bittersweet end, I am focusing on expanding my brand online at www.bymayaginzburg.com and to more boutiques in Montreal. I am currently stocked at Boutique Eternelle and Take Three, and I hope that after the show I am able to move into a larger workspace. Being selected for this competition was incredibly validating, reaching top five, even more so. At the same time, I know I still have so much to learn, and I would love to do a Masters at Central Saint Martins at the University of Arts London. Barring formal education, I hope to find the Gaultier to my Margiela, it would be a dream to learn from one of the greats and have a mentor who inspires and believes in me. Oh! I also have a fashion history podcast on YouTube (and all the audio platforms) called Read the Care Tag: A Fashion Podcast. Historical research enriches my own practice, and I would love to be able to put more time towards that project because I believe that fashion history is so often left by the wayside.