Camille Prins went on Project Runway Canada to follow her design dreams, but a frumpy camouflage dress got her sent home in this season’s first episode.
On the season premiere last night, designers were tasked with creating a winning dress — using camouflage material — to be displayed in the Canadian War Museum.
Prins, a 28-year-old Toronto native, tried to capture the spirit of a jungle vixen with her dress but the judges felt it just made the model look dirty and unkempt. One judge said it was actually painful to look at, sealing Prins’ fate.
On the show, Prins said her most powerful asset was her positivity and she remains true to form despite being ousted first.
“The show was actually a really fun, positive experience. I feel like it has already opened a lot of doors. If I could I would do it again,” Prins said.
Prins had only kind words for the other designers and says most of them bonded because of similar goals and personalities.
Previously, two contestants voluntarily withdrew from the competition in dramatic exits due to health issues. Jaclyn Murray, 26, from Winnipeg, Man., suffered an anxiety attack during the first challenge and had to be hospitalized, choosing to withdraw shortly thereafter.
Danio Frangella, 33, from LaSalle, Ont., left the show after developing painful skin ulcers, a side-effect from a bout with cancer.
For Prins, the experience of being on the show was a lot tamer and a lot less intimidating than she had expected.
“I expected it to be a hundred times crazier. Even when I was sleeping I was expecting a camera crew to rush in. But you’re too busy to even notice that the cameras are there,” she said.
Prins says she has wanted to be involved with the show since the first season, so being on the show was a dream come true.
Now that she’s off the show, Prins will go back to running her Dutch Blonde women’s clothing line (www.dutchblonde.ca) and she hopes to branch out into menswear and children’s apparel soon.
While Prins’ experience on Project Runway Canada was a positive one, she says it’s hard not to feel disappointed. “I was really looking forward to doing some more of the challenges just to push myself to see what I could do.”
