(Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

DELAYNE DIXON

Kamloops designer eyeing brand growth after Project Runway Canada experience

Dec 15, 2025 | 4:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — Delayne Dixon’s home studio may be small, but the designs coming out of it have been on red carpets, in magazines, and now on Season 3 of Project Runway Canada.

The latest season began airing several weeks ago and Dixon says she’s heard from plenty of friends, family and even strangers who have been following along.

“It’s been nothing but support,” she told CFJC Today Monday (Dec. 15). “I mean, people who I don’t know are messaging me and supporting my process. They’re like, ‘I love you on the show and you’re doing so well.’ Everyone has just been so overwhelmingly supportive.”

The Kamloops designer was cast in the recently rebooted version of Project Runway’s Canadian counterpart. Contestants gain industry mentorship and test their mettle to win around $100,000, along with a feature in Elle magazine.

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“You’ve got 30 minutes to sketch. Typically, I need a day to think about my design and I’ll edit here and there. But you’ve got to go in there strong with a confident idea and there’s not a lot of room for mistakes.”

Dixon held her own against other up-and-coming Canadian designers. She won an episode challenge with high praise and a bit of cash, and made it into the top eight.

“The fact that I was up there on that stage and I heard Coco Rocha say, ‘Delayne, you’re the winner of this challenge.’ I never thought I would hear that,” she recalls. “I didn’t know if I deserved to be there even though I am proud of where I’ve come with my brand and everything. But again, there is just so much talent in Canada. I have to say, when I went home the biggest lesson that I learned was that I hold myself back, especially with my designs.”

As shown in her elimination episode, which aired on Friday (Dec. 12) on Crave Canada, Dixon describes a genuine camaraderie amongst contestants.

“The people who were involved were the best part of it, really,” she explained. “You kind of go into a reality TV show thinking there might be drama and beef, but us Canadians, we were great. We were all so supportive of each other.”

She didn’t take home ‘the big win,’ but came back to Kamloops with more confidence to ‘go big.’ Dixon says it’s also made her even more open to doing that style of contest in the future, but with a little more competitive strategy.

“Because I was a fast sewer, I finished early a lot of the time and then I’d go and help out other designers. I wanted to be authentic in my experience there. But I think if I were to do it again, I wouldn’t help, and I would make my look bigger and elevate it more.”

As for what’s next, Dixon plans to take the positive exposure from the show and invest her challenge prize money to bring her clothes into retail settings.

“Up until now, I’ve been doing made-to-order and making everything myself in my little room, so manufacturing will be nice because then I can reach out to retailers and department stores. Let’s expand this brand. Let’s keep going, you know?”