DESIGNER-IN-RESIDENCE
AN ECOSYSTEM FOR GROWTH
LIGNES DE FUITE’s Designer-in-Residence program offers more than just affordable access to a fully equipped studio—it provides a complete ecosystem designed to support the evolution of ambitious, entrepreneurial fashion talent. Within this interconnected environment, designers gain access not only to tools and space, but also to mentorship, visibility, sales opportunities, and a collaborative community. It’s a rare chance to build your brand inside a structure that’s creatively liberating, professionally credible, and financially realistic.
We currently have 3 residents and are seeking 3 new designers to join us for the September 2025–August 2026 cycle.
WHO IT’S FOR
You’re talented, ambitious—and probably overwhelmed. You have strong ideas, a distinct creative voice, and a desire to make your mark. But you're navigating it all without a clear structure, without a team, and often without the resources to match your vision.
This residency is for designers who want to build something real and lasting—step by step, with integrity. It’s for those who are still figuring things out, who are bold enough to start small, and who believe in learning through doing.
That said, this is not for everyone. We’re looking for creative voices with genuine potential, a strong work ethic, and a drive to develop a sustainable business. We are selective—because we know what it takes, and we’re ready to invest in those who are truly ready to invest in themselves.
If that’s you, this is more than a residency—it’s your creative infrastructure.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Designer-in-Residence program is an ongoing opportunity offered by LIGNES DE FUITE to support emerging designers ready to take the next step in their development. Residents contribute $275/month for access to our fully equipped studio located at Lot 328, 4710 Saint-Ambroise in Montreal. The space is open seven days a week and includes a dedicated rack, storage locker, and shared use of professional equipment and creative facilities.
Participants benefit from informal infrastructure mentoring with Milan Tanedjikov—up to six hours per semester—focused on brand development, production strategy, and operational growth. Designers also gain the opportunity to list products on SUPPLY, our curated retail platform, and may be selected to participate in ON SHOW, our seasonal in-house runway series.
LIGNES DE FUITE amplifies the work of its residents through regular features across its communication platforms, including Instagram, the website, and special editorial content. While we don’t guarantee campaign production for each designer, we do actively share the work of residents within our creative ecosystem.
Additional opportunities may arise through LDF’s extended ecosystem, including the chance to collaborate on external projects, execute freelance contracts with our support, or take part in select educational and mentoring activities depending on your interests and skills.
This program is ideal for entrepreneurial creatives who want to test ideas, refine their practice, and build their brand within a structure that supports independence, visibility, and long-term growth.
STUDIO ACCESS & EQUIPMENT
As a Designer-in-Residence, you gain seven-day access to a fully equipped studio at Lot 328, 4710 Saint-Ambroise in Montreal. The space includes six industrial plain sewing machines, a range of manual and domestic machines, walking foot machines for leather (including a double-needle), zigzag and fur machines, buttonhole and tack machines, as well as three coverstitch machines. You’ll also have access to an industrial iron and heat press, pattern plotter, drafting tables, a knitting machine, and a photography setup. A computer station loaded with Adobe Creative Suite and CLO 3D is available for digital design work and documentation.
What makes this studio truly unique in Canada is our partnership with Atelier Textile, located directly next door. Thanks to this collaboration, our residents enjoy not only professional sewing and pattern-making infrastructure but also direct access to screen printing and dyeing facilities—something that is extremely rare. Across Canada, the fashion and textile sectors are often siloed due to being governed under separate ministries, which limits cross-disciplinary collaboration. By bringing these two worlds together under one roof, we’ve created a hybrid space that supports meaningful interaction between textile artists and fashion designers. This setup allows for deeper creative exploration, fluid prototyping, and truly integrated design practices. Residents get priority access to these facilities during Open Studio sessions, making it easier than ever to experiment, produce, and refine without delays or added costs.
VISIBILITY & COLLABORATION
As a resident, you’ll be featured regularly on LDF’s platforms and integrated into our promotional ecosystem. This includes periodic Instagram features, dedicated posts, and possible inclusion in editorial campaigns and lookbooks. Your work may also be presented through in-house fashion shoots, as well as made available for stylists and influencers through our rental system. Participation in SUPPLY, our retail platform, and ON SHOW, our runway event series, is available at no cost to residents selected for these programs. Visibility is not treated as an afterthought—it’s an active part of how we support our designers. The more focused and ambitious your work, the more visibility we dedicate to it.
BUSINESS & INFRASTRUCTURE MENTORING
This residency isn’t just about space—it’s about building strong, sustainable designer businesses. Every resident receives personalized mentoring from Milan Tanedjikov. You’ll get expert guidance on pricing, production strategy, market positioning, and long-term growth. The mentoring is structured yet flexible, allowing you to stay true to your creative values while making informed, business-savvy decisions. This program is about building real futures—giving you the clarity and tools you need to grow as both a creative and an entrepreneur.
SUPPLY RETAIL PLATFORM
As a Designer-in-Residence, you’re strongly encouraged to take part in SUPPLY, our in-house retail platform. Being part of the marketplace comes with major advantages. By pooling multiple designers under one transactional website, we radically reduce the cost of doing business. You won’t need to maintain your own e-commerce infrastructure, manage customer service alone, or drive independent traffic to your shop. Instead, we share those responsibilities—and the rewards.
The collective nature of SUPPLY means we benefit from shared visibility, stronger SEO, and cumulative audience growth. Every designer brings new energy and new reach, which in turn supports everyone else.
Residents also receive preferential rates on all sales models. For listed products, the standard commission of 25% drops to 15%. For consignment sales, it drops from 35% to 25%. And if we purchase your products wholesale, our markup is reduced from 50% to 40%. These reduced margins make it far more viable for emerging designers to price profitably while gaining meaningful exposure. SUPPLY isn’t just a marketplace—it’s a shared launchpad, and we want every resident to take full advantage of it.
RUNWAY OPPORTUNITIES
We’re proud to offer some of the most dynamic, independent runway experiences in Canada—and our residents are at the center of them. LIGNES DE FUITE is known for producing fashion shows that are immersive, experimental, and high-quality, with real cultural relevance.
Our flagship event, ON SHOW, takes place in June and presents collections by Designers-in-Residence in front of a public audience. We also showcase designers during Montreal Fashion Week every September in collaboration with 1664, and during Toronto Fashion Week in both November and May, in partnership with FAT (Fashion Art Toronto) and 1664.
These shows are offered free of charge to residents, representing enormous savings and visibility. We handle the event production, space, lighting, sound, and promotion. You just focus on your work. For an emerging brand, runway presentation is often financially out of reach—this program makes it possible, and memorable.
REVENUE-GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES
We are frequently approached to produce imagery, custom looks, costume design, and creative direction for clients across fashion, music, culture, and commercial sectors. When these opportunities arise, LIGNES DE FUITE acts as a coordinating agency—managing the project, handling the client, and distributing paid freelance work to our network. As a Designer-in-Residence, you’ll be prioritized for these contracts. It’s a way to build your portfolio, gain valuable experience, and generate income—while staying connected to a supportive, collaborative ecosystem.
THE VALUE
Let’s be honest: there’s nothing like this available elsewhere at this price point. You’re not just getting access to space—you’re entering an incubator. Our primary mission is to make real development possible for independent designers by drastically lowering the cost of experimentation, prototyping, and production. This is our passion project, and it’s built with care, strategy, and a long-term vision for change.
We’re extremely selective. This program is only for designers we truly believe in—those with talent, drive, and a clear desire to build sustainable, independent businesses. For those individuals, we offer something rare: a high-level infrastructure and ecosystem at a cost that makes creative risk and professional growth viable.
In many ways, we’re already performing the kind of work typically expected from government-funded incubators—supporting excellence, increasing productivity, nurturing entrepreneurial development. At the moment, we operate independently without grants, but our ambition is to attract long-term institutional partners who recognize the importance and impact of our work.
The real cost of accessing these resources individually would easily exceed $10,000 per year. At $275/month, the residency is intentionally priced to be accessible—because we believe the future of fashion will be built by those who are given the chance to start strong, without being crushed by overhead.
APPLY NOW
We’re currently accepting applications for the next cycle of the Designer-in-Residence program. Only three spots are available. We are highly selective—we’re looking for designers with strong creative potential, clear ideas, and an entrepreneurial mindset. This is for individuals actively building their brand and looking to do so in a sustainable, low-risk way with access to real resources and professional support.