Montreal's UNTTLD wins Star Wars fashion week contest with Leia-inspired bikini dress

Montreal label UNTTLD used their creative forces and struck gold in a Star Warscostume contest with their interpretation of an iconic metal bikini worn by Princess Leia.

Designers Jos Manuel St-Jacques and Simon Blanger were awarded the $15,000 prize on Wednesday at Toronto's World MasterCard Fashion Week.

It was the second victory in as many days for UNTTLD. On Tuesday, the label won the Mercedes-Benz Start Up contest for emerging designers, earning a fully produced runway show, an editorial spread in Fashion Magazine and a cash award in the form of a $30,000 bursary.

Star Wars fashion contest

9 years ago

Duration 2:33

Montreal label UNTTLD wins $15K for Leia-inspired bikini dress during Toronto Fashion Week contest

As an additional element to the Start Up program, finalists were tasked with creating a Star Wars-inspired design in the Disney-sponsored contest.

St-Jacques said they decided to bring a fresh approach to Princess Leia's famed golden bikini worn onscreen by Carrie Fisher in 1983's Return of the Jedias the character was held captive by Jabba the Hutt.

'To empower Leia'

"We decided to empower Leia and bring back the chain and make a dress out of it that's somewhat armour, somewhat very sexy," said St-Jacques.

The pair had no reservations about putting forward their own vision of such a recognizable ensemble.

"When something is so iconic, it's easier for people to understand where you started," said Blanger.

It spoke to us that it was timeless.- Peter Noonan, Disney Consumer Products Canada

"You can go quite far from the original design, and if you keep the right elements, people will recognize what you're talking about and where you're started from."

Peter Noonan of Disney Consumer Products Canada said the UNTTLD creation had a "wow" factor that set the design apart.

"[It was]the beauty of it, the symmetry of it, the elegance of it," said Noonan, managing director of licencing.

"It would be something you would see at a holiday gala, but it wasn't necessarily out of place. You could use different fabrications within that Princess Leia esthetic.

"It spoke to us that it was timeless."

In addition to their cash prize, St-Jacques and Blanger were bestowed with an iconic keepsake of their own from the film franchise.

Oscar-winning Star Warsset decorator Roger Christian the original creator of the lightsabre served as a guest judge in the contest, and presented the UNTTLD designers with their own commemorative laser swords.