Danier Design Challenge | Meet the Judges

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Born in Toronto, Jeanne Beker began her career in show business at the age of 16 and since then has never looked back. A mother of two teenage girls and fashion guru extraordinaire, today, Jeanne is one of the most iconic and influential women in the fashion industry both here at home and around the world. Jeanne is the host of FashionTelevision, which has viewers across Canada and in over 120 countries across the globe. Today, FT is still the most accessible fashion program in the world! In addition, Jeanne helped pioneer fashion on the Internet with American communications giant MCI, when she became editorial director of @fashion in 1995 - the web's first fashion site. And with fashiontelevision.com hitting the one million mark of podcasts downloaded per month, people around the world now have 24-hour access to Jeanne and episodes from the world's leading fashion series.		Robert Ott has been appointed Chair of the School of Fashion, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada for a five-year term which became effective July 1, 2008. A graduate from Ryerson's School of Fashion in Apparel Production Management, Robert Ott brings a lifelong commitment to design, fashion, business, and production management to his appointment. He is nationally recognized for his extensive senior management experience with Jones Apparel Group Canada where he held a series of progressively responsible executive roles since he first joined the firm in 1990. He was responsible for overseeing product research and development, supporting marketing activities, developing and overseeing an international business model, and re-evaluating the strategic positioning of corporate brands within Canada. In 2006, Robert became a part-time instructor in Production Technology in Ryerson's School of Fashion. His academic and studio experience in theatre and set/production design at the University of Victoria combined with his keen understanding of the role of design and fashion in an international context will be a definite asset to the School and the Faculty of Communication & Design and its further engagement with cultural industries. Robert’s interest in research encompasses the economic, social, and cultural influences of consumerism on fashion branding.


Olga joined Danier in 1982 and has overseen design, merchandising, purchasing and production since 1985. She originated the Danier product line and has extensive experience in the purchase of raw materials and has developed expertise in the unique demands of designing garments in leather and suede.		George Antonopoulos continues to push the envelope and succeeds in taking style to the next level with his passion for editorial. George’s style has graced the pages of the Holt Renfrew Book, Flare, FQ, Ocean Drive, Fashion Magazine, Highrise and Collage. He has also been a regular contributor to Canada’s top publications, Flare and Fashion magazine. In addition to his Fashion Direction with designers such as Arthur Mendonca, George’s impressive client list includes Danier, Holt Renfrew and HBC. His work has taken him to Athens, NYC, Palm Springs, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and London.


While stretching her sartorial muscles in Ryerson University's Fashion Communication program, Tiyana Grulovic fell in love with print, taking on an internship in the art and fashion departments at Toro, Canada's dashing men's magazine. For three years, she worked her fashion magic at Chatelaine as the magazine's assistant style editor until The Globe and Mail came knockin'. As Globe Style’s fashion editor and trendspotter, Grulovic styles fashion features and writes a weekly Runway to Real Way column. You may have also seen her laying down style smackdowns on ETalk's Fashion Fix.		Erin owns and operates a successful design firm with her eponymous contemporary womenswear line erinkleinberg. Her collection is sold worldwide at Holt Renfrew, Intermix, Saks, Lane Crawford, Nordstrom, etc. Prior to this endeavor Erin worked directly under W's Fashion Director Alex White, for Susie Sheffman at FASHION, and at Holt Renfrew in the personal shopping department. Currently, Erin is working on a new venture entitled The Coveteur – a blog that takes you into the closets/homes of the top style icons of our generation.

Elizabeth Cabral is the Fashion Director of FLARE Magazine, Canada's fashion authority.

Elizabeth joined FLARE in July 2004 as Style Editor and was quickly promoted to Fashion Director in 2005. During her tenure, she has given Flare's fashion coverage a distinct point of view that successfully combines aspirational fashion shoots with serviceable how-to information. This unique perspective has garnered her multiple awards at the National Magazine Awards, ADCC and Elizabeth was named Fashion Editor of the Year, Procter and Gamble Editorial Awards for two consecutive years.

An esteemed stylist and creative visionary, Elizabeth has worked with the world’s top models such as Daria, Lara Stone, Erin Wasson and Coco Rocha to name a few and celebrities like Alicia Keys, Fergie, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson, Freida Pinto and countless others.

An experienced and well-versed fashion expert, Elizabeth has appeared on a number of television shows including Fashion Television, Entertainment Tonight, E-Talk, Much Music, MTV, Breakfast Television, Global News as well as numerous radio shows and newspapers. Her dynamic public speaking skills and reader engagement have been demonstrated at various advertiser store events. As a fashion ambassador for Flare, Elizabeth’s own personal style has also been featured on popular blogs such as The Sartorialist, Style.com and jakandjill.com.