Canadian designer Christopher Bates moves to Milan

The 35-year-old Canadian menswear designer Christopher Bates, who creates both custom made suits, tuxedos, coats and dress shirts for men and seasonal ready-to-wear collections, is going to move to Milan.

Eight years since Bates, who was recently announced as a nominee for menswear designer of the year for the upcoming Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards, first moved to Milan to study fashion, now he is returning to the fashion capital hoping to expand his label.

'In my opinion, Canada has been the perfect incubator for my brand to grow and to figure out what works and what doesn't, and to get to a point where it's strong and then: 'What next?' I think for me, it's Europe for many reasons. I think that's a natural evolution for a Canadian designer to take', said Christopher Bates to CTV News Canada.

Bates plans to produce all his garments in Italy and to work closely with manufacturers.

'Europe is still the world's biggest luxury market and any success that I have there, (it will) reverberate around the world, whereas in Canada, it's more of an isolated market. It's a smaller market, it's a good market, but relatively, in a global sense, it's quite small and isolated', Bates explained.

'There's such a great opportunity now for me to work with these manufacturers and to have this really world-class product so I'll be able to sell more clothes. But I'll also be developing a very strong brand founded on the highest quality standards... I went to Milan in the first place because in my opinion, that is the heart of fashion, particularly in menswear. There's just such a legacy there that I've wanted to be a part of and to adapt my brand accordingly', the designer added.