Photostory: The Pride Soirée 2026
Returning for its second year, the Pride Soirée celebrated fashion and queerness in one glamorous night.
Leah Hennig The Pride Soirée fashion show returned for its second year this June in a beautiful celebration of fashion and queerness. Put on by People Helping People, the event took place at the Winterburn Barn. A total of 12 different designers came together to showcase their work, worn by the show’s wonderful models.
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse spoke before the runway show began. As she put it, “Fashion is more than clothing, fashion is more than storytelling, fashion is more than culture. Fashion is anti-racist, it’s resilient, it’s beautiful, it’s identity, and it’s self-expression.”
The designs brought a wide range of styles to the runway. There were African-inspired designs and bright, beautiful colours, and there were more muted, street-style clothes. Other designers went for high fashion, high drama looks that the models showed off with flair.
Not to mention, the show also featured various performers, ranging from salsa dancing to poetry to music.
Beyond being an incredible night, the Pride Soirée also raised $3,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“At a time when members of the Two-Spirit LGBTQIA+ community continue to face discrimination, barriers, and uncertainty, Pride remains as important as ever,” Lana Antonio, the founder and director of the creative vision and operations of People Helping People, said in her closing speech. “Pride is a celebration, but Pride is also visibility, Pride is resilience, Pride is advocacy, Pride is community.”
She said that the models included people who had never walked in a fashion show before, a nurse, a customer service worker, a public servant, and someone receiving cancer treatment.
“This is what Pride Soirée is all about, not perfection, not status, not fitting into a mould,” she said. “It’s about creating space for people to take up space, to be celebrated, and to be reminded that they matter.”
