Five short years after launching his own label, London-based designer Erdem Moralioglu is arguably the hottest name in fashion circles these days. And with several prestigious awards already under his belt and fashion royalty like Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Bosworth singing his praises, this famously spectacled designer is on the fast track to icon status.

Known for his fanciful floral frocks and custom botanical prints, Erdem’s romantic, feminine pieces bring to mind fashionably elegant ladies who lunch…with, perhaps, a bit of attitude. “I think the woman I design for is the kind of woman that marches to her own drummer,” says Moralioglu. “She’s very individual and not necessarily dictated to by a season. She wears what she likes when she wants.”

Born and raised in Montreal, Moralioglu knew from a young age that he wanted to work in fashion. “I remember watching Jeanne Beker and Tim Blanks as a kid on TV, and in Montreal we also had an amazing fashion show called Perfecto that I loved! So yeah, I realized very, very early on that fashion was what I wanted to do.” But still for Moralioglu, being a designer is a life-long process. “I’m always exploring new things and kind of going in different directions, so for me that’s just an ongoing thing that I always try to do as a designer—constantly defining and redefining myself.”

This spring, Moralioglu’s collection features his signature botanical prints with considerable inspiration from the Ballets Russes. “I did a show at the Victoria & Albert Museum last year and was introduced to the director who told me about the upcoming exhibit of costumes and artifacts and he gave me access to the archives, which was totally inspiring—the collection is really a result of that research.” And if you still can’t get enough of Moralioglu’s whimsical day dresses and bold prints, fans in Canada can also look forward to a special treat this fall, when ERDEM will launch a nine-piece bespoke collection inspired by jungle orchids, available exclusively at The Room in Toronto and (opening soon) Vancouver.

We recently caught up with Moralioglu to discuss Blackberry addiction, X Factor and the Canadian fashion scene in the latest edition of our infamous Designer DNA questionnaire.

Read on to get to know the man behind the prints charming.