Canadian costume and theme wear designer Rebecca McKenzie created Miss Universe Canada Siera Bearchell’s national costume for the 2016 Miss Universe competition in Manila, Philippines. This year, the national costume for Canada represents something our country is very well known for, winter fun!

Snow and winter leave their mark on every Canadian; it is part of our identity as a country. Parents take their young children out on frozen rivers to teach them how to skate. They build snow forts and go sledding together. We go out snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snow-kiting. We pack up and head to the mountain for the weekend, hoping for heavy snowfall the night before. We wax our skis and trick out our sleds, knowing we have some of the best runs and trails in the world to explore. Winter brings people together in Canada.

“Every Canadian at some point ends up wearing clothing with that iconic winter stitching on it. People think of snow covered lodges, hot chocolate by the fireplace and seeing it usually puts a smile on your face. It’s generally only seen during the winter in Canada, so we felt it would be fun to incorporate it into our design. This winter-time pattern has a long history in Canada and people wearing it, is about as old as the country itself. Along with over 15 000 crystals, we’ve included symbols within the pattern that reflect parts of our country that are special to Canadians, and a couple that are meaningful to Siera and me. You will find the white infinity symbol within the pattern, representing Siera’s Metis heritage. The shamrock symbolizes my hometown of Miramichi, New Brunswick, The Irish Capitol of Canada. The tulip honours Canadian veterans; The Netherlands sends thousands of tulips every year to Canada, in appreciation of the Canadian sacrifice during their liberation in the Second World War.”

“It was equally important to us that we had authentic, Indigenous made artwork in the costume design. Manitobah Mukluks is a Canadian, Indigenous-owned business and they were literally a perfect fit for us. Siera will be wearing a bright white pair of ‘Kanada’ mukluks from Manitobah Mukluks with her costume.”

“Almost every Canadian has made paper snowflakes at least once in their lifetime. You can typically find them hanging in windows around Canada during the winter. Siera’s giant back piece opens up like a paper snowflake; she can even open it up while wearing it. You will see each province and territory cut out inside each point of the actual snowflake she wears. We wanted to make sure every Canadian was represented.”

With her giant snow flake back piece, heart-warming outfit and matching toque with matching white Manitobah Mukluks, Siera is undeniably representing Canada to the world.