Vancouver designer Malene Grotrian, 29, made her New York Fashion Week debut last week by being the only Canadian designer invited to the show, according to the show's fashion calendar.
She unveiled her spring and summer 2010 collection.
New York's semi-annual fashion week ranks alongside counterparts in Paris, London and Milan as one of the world's marquee fashion events.
Grotrian invited other Vancouver designers to partner with her at the show including Monteiro Design owner Jane Monteiro to provide jewelry and John Fluevog for footwear.
New York Fashion Week is seen as a litmus test for North American designers partly because it is by invitation only.
Grotrian's clothes earned a standing ovation at the Vancouver Fashion Week in March. That warm welcome was noticed by officials connected with the New York show.
Other media have reported that Grotrian laid the groundwork for her success by joining the Vancouver Business Network's international chapter.
Many local designers surround themselves with industry people but Grotrian decided to take a different approach and seek out non-industry entrepreneurs.
The result: she connected with people in marketing and graphic design instead.