2020 Designer of the Year
Tanya Taylor
Tanya Taylor is the founder of her self-named clothing brand, known for its colorful and size-inclusive womenswear collections.
Raised in Toronto, Tanya Taylor grew up surrounded by three generations of fiercely ambitious women whose creative approach to fashion inspired her from an early age. After graduating from her studies in finance at McGill University, Tanya enrolled in a summer fashion course at Central Saint Martins and continued into the AAS Fashion Studies program at Parsons School of Design.
In 2012, Tanya launched her eponymous collection, which is sold at retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Rent the Runway. Designed in New York City, the collection embodies a pursuit of individuality and optimism through the artful use of color, texture and original hand-painted prints. The “Tanya Taylor woman” is determined, energetic and curious, and believes in the art of dressing.
Each Tanya Taylor collection is designed with real women in mind – making clothes to fit, function and feel good so that women can use them as a tool to feel like the best version of themselves each day. Tanya stands for unequivocal inclusivity, which is woven into everything she makes and does. Her collections are available in sizes 0-22, and have been worn by a diverse range of inspirational women – a list that includes former First Lady Michelle Obama, Tracee Ellis Ross, Beyoncé, Kristen Wiig, Aidy Bryant, Sandra Bullock, Gigi Hadid, Chrissy Metz and Olivia Munn.
Believing in the positive psychological impact of color, Tanya is committed to bringing color into the lives of those battling illness or hardship. The Tanya Taylor team is proud to partner with organizations such as Memorial Sloan Kettering, Sick Kids and Sunrise Day Camp to share the optimism and joy behind the brand through the use of paint and color therapy classes.
Tanya was nominated for CAFA’s International Canadian Designer of the Year Award in 2016. She became an official member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) the year prior, and was awarded the USA Woolmark Regional Prize in recognition of innovation in knitwear, advancing to the International Woolmark Prize finals. Tanya was a top-10 finalist in the 2014 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, and was a member of the 2015-16 Swarovski Collective. In 2014, she won the Gold Coast Award and was nominated for the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award. She was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in the same year.
