Tis the season for post-secondary applications! Thinking about going down a more stylish path? Vv Magazine has rounded up the top fashion schools in Canada, from coast to coast…

It may seem odd to do an article on the best fashion schools in Canada in January but hear us out: this is when applications are due and when we applied to school, we did everything at the last minute. Also, if Project Runway has taught us anything, many a high-profile lawyer or stock broker is willing to abandon their lucrative career to fight in the trenches of style. That and we wish Tim Gunn was our father or fabulous uncle or something.

It has never been a better time to pursue an education in fashion. Where once prospective fashion designers, marketers, or managers were limited to apprenticeships or adjacent programs in fine arts or business, now one can actually pursue a post-secondary experience directly related to the industry.

So why get a degree in fashion instead of something more general? Well, besides the fact that the fashion industry is increasingly stringent with credentials, Ryerson University’s fashion design program director Lu Ann Lafrenz tells us, “Learning from academics and industry professionals, students receive a foundation in numerous areas such as fashion theory, history, textiles, and design to develop the necessary hard and soft skills that are essential to quickly move into positions once they graduate.” Beyond exposure to skills and class time, she also notes, “Networking is key, especially in a small community like the fashion industry in Canada, so exposure to Canadian fashion professionals through speakers in classroom settings, industry supported competitions, and internships gives students a great head start when moving toward their career goals.”

While Montreal was once considered Canada’s fashion capital (and still is, in terms of manufacturing), Toronto has now taken on the mantle. With a world-class fashion week (see: World MasterCard Fashion Week), the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFAs), an ever-growing roster of retailers, and the majority of national fashion publications published here, the city is making its mark on the sartorial world. Half the experience is the environment you’re in and Toronto has become a place that truly nurtures creativity.

However, we don’t want this to be an advertorial for Toronto and it’s fashion schools. Fashion does not see borders or geography; local talent can be across the country and each city offers its own flavour of creativity. It’s simply a fact that most of the money and industry is in Toronto.

The blog Fashionista does an annual roundup of the best fashion schools in the world but they are sorely lacking in Canadian options so we thought we’d fill in the blanks, eh? Here are the best fashion schools in Canada (in no particular order) to help get you in the mood to pursue your passions – from the Pacific to the Atlantic.