As one of the largest and most progressive cities in Canada, Vancouver is the perfect backdrop for cultivating young artists and fashion designers. And that is exactly what a fashion design competition like Generation Next wanted to showcase. The 5th annual fashion show/competition was held at Performance Words on Granville Island on September 2nd of 2010. Featuring the works of three up and coming local fashion designers, the show drew hundreds of spectators and generated much media buzz.The show started off with the collection by Sophia Mendez which featured thirty summer appropriate, ready-to-wear outfits that were young, fresh and vibrant in their designs. Each garments had their own charming details which is what gave and the entire collection a sense of whimsy and playfulness. Following the works of Sophia Mendez were thirty more outfits by Marla Lede. The young designer’s line was diverse in style, ranging from maxi dresses to sporty play suits. The last competitor, Jenna Etcheverry AKA Madam Wolf’s designs were most noted for her daring and innovative utilization of see-through fabrics such as mesh and chiffon. After the runway walk, the judges deliberated and Sophia Mendez was crowned as the winner of 2010 Generation Next. After the show, I had the opportunity chat with Sophia and the young designer was kind enough to share her experience with me.Xu: Congratulations! How does it feel to win?Sophia: It’s extremely exciting, it’s almost like it hasn’t even kicked in yet. It’s been a long, great journey and I’m finally getting somewhere so it’s making me really happy.Xu: How long did you work on this project for?Sophia: We applied in the beginning of August, so since the beginning of august my life has been Generation Next.Xu: what do you have planned for the future?Sophia: I’m going to continue to work on my line and open stores and get more people interested.Xu: are you just looking to expand in Vancouver or on a more international level?Sophia: for now, I’m looking to set up in major cities in Canada and then just slowly grow and work with retailers and really get them to know my line and for the customers to get an idea of what my line is and eventually go international.Xu: what’s your inspiration behind your designs?Sophia: It’s basically the woman herself. Someone who is very self-confident and knows what she wants… I’m inspired by sensuality and femininity.Written by: Xuan WangPhotography by: Matthew J Van Deventer