Project Runway Canada's Brandon Dwyer

On the second season of Global’s reality series Project Runway Canada, we had to say goodbye to Brandon after only four episodes. Brandon stood out from the other cast members for his creative designs, not knowing legendary designers, and smoking lots of cigarettes in between. I had a chance to interview Brandon and ask him a few questions.

Paul: Hey Brandon, I want to start by asking what was your last favorite fashion purchase?

Brandon: My shiny black high tops!

Who is your fashion icon?
YSL..just kidding!!! I would have to say I J'adore Angelina's style right now

What designers do you love at the moment?
Zac Posen, Wayne Clark, and Oscar De La Renta

Favorite Fashion blog?
Is this a trick question? I try not to read fashion blogs, so it’s hard to say.

Did you always want to be a designer?
The idea of being a fashion designer never popped into my head until I was 18. But in a way I have always been designing womens clothing just through different mediums.

What did you think of being on the show and did it meet your expectations?
I thought it was a great experience, and it definitely was everything I thought it was going to be and more.

What was the most difficult part being on the show?
It was extremely difficult coming up with a solid idea and creating your idea to the fullest extent in such limited time frames. But, that’s the whole idea of the show right?

How was it watching yourself on television?
I thought it was way too funny! I couldn’t stop laughing!!

Who were you closest to on the show? Any lasting friendships made?
I’m extremely close to Jessica Biffi, I think the friendship we have will last forever. She is an amazing person and an extremely talented designer.

About your last episode, did you feel the show accurately showed what really happened?
I think they did a great portrayal of what occurred during the taping of that episode. The only thing I was slightly upset about was that they made it out to seem I did not know who YSL was...which was not the case, I just was not overly familiar with his work.

At elimination you were put on the spot for not being familiar with YSL, if you could go back would you have said anything different to Iman and the other judges?
I would have just stated that I am a fashion designer, not a fashion history major, so I should not be expected to know every designer that has ever lived.

With so many big personalities in the house, from an insider’s perspective what was the dynamic of the contestants?
I think Kim, Genevieve and Jason all worked off one another to make fun of the other contestants, that was their deal.
The rest basically were there to make the best out of the opportunity.

So what are you doing now?
Just launched my fall/winter 09/10 collection, which I have fortunately received rave reviews. Now I’m going to take a mini break, go to nyc for a little while to design my spring/summer collection for next season!

Who inspires you?
My best friend Andi Muise inspires me. Her beauty on the inside and out, pushes me to design clothing that is suited for beautiful women such as herself!

Final question Brandon, what advice do you have for young designers who are trying to break into the fashion industry?
My only advice to new designers, is to really make sure it’s what you want. To make it anywhere in this industry you have to push harder than you think even possible. I have spent countless days and nights without sleep to make it to where I am, with very little money being made. I think if your passionate about what you do, you will make sacrifices, and make the best out of every opportunity.