Attendees were treated to a showcase of colour, storytelling and style during the Other Paris Fashion Week Evening Gala on Saturday, October 23, 2026.
The third annual event featured a runway show, wearable art exhibition and fashion market.
First organized by Paris residents Kara Kalvapalle, Rubyyy Jones and Prinx Lydia, the event has since grown from its beginnings on an “AstroTurf” runway at Wincey Mills to a full-fledged celebration of fashion and creativity on the stage of the forParis Centre.
This year, 11 local designers had the opportunity to display their work on a host of models from the community.
Those featured included KLK Paris, Prinx Lydia, Rachel Hoot, Shar O’Neill of Thrift for Charity, Caroline Telfer, Jill Pye, Daphne Desdemona, Evelyn Subbick, Sinthu Naganathan (Sinséa), Larissa Hikel and Ostentacious.
From vibrant pops of colour to shades of black, intricate silhouettes, nature-inspired, whimsical and avant-garde designs, rich textures, sparkles, and muted neutrals, the runway was a feast for the eyes, with each collection telling its own story.
The presentations ranged from playful and lighthearted to more thought-provoking and emotionally charged, with carefully chosen music tracks and the movements of the models helping set the tone for each collection.
“If a fashion should come onto the stage and move you in such a way that you want to scream to the heavens, you may. If a fit makes you itch and you want to clap your hands wildly, you may. And if something, a creation, moves you, feel free to allow your heart and soul to expand and grow three times,” Rubyyy Jones, Master of Ceremonies, told the audience. “There are many possibilities for what will happen tonight. That is the nature of creation, and tonight you are going to see all kinds of fabulous things. Cool fashions, wearable art, creations coming deep from someone’s soul, and things that are frivolous just because.”
Jones continued, “Fashion is a protest. It’s a presence. It’s a way we express ourselves. So don’t let anyone make you think it’s just a garment or that it’s just a look. It’s you taking up space, expressing yourself through your garb and colour, and silhouettes.”
As the show went on, Jones took to the stage to provide some information about the designers and their works, often helping to prepare those present for what was up next, whether it was playful and vibrant or featured more serious themes, like Naganathan’s showing which touched violence against women.
When all was said and done, Nava Dufraimont of London, Ontario, and Paris resident Eva Rungis, both said it was their first time attending the show.
Dufraimont, who was there to support her friend Desdemona, said the whole evening was incredible.
“I thought it was amazing,” she said. “The one after my friend’s [Naganathan’s] was intense, but powerful – all in a good way – but I wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult emotionally. And the others, of course, were all just as phenomenal.”
Rungis added that the event was a beautiful display of creativity.
“I think we need more events like this in the community, for sure,” she said. “There’s so much talent here and it’s so important to have spaces like this for people to show what they’re capable of. It was just incredible.”
When asked if any stood out to her, Rungis said it was hard to choose.
“I just loved all the colour from KLKParis. There was one piece especially that had this great cape that had so many pops of colour in it and I loved it, it was such a beautiful way to open the show,” said Rungis. “I loved Caroline Telfer’s piece too, with the chicken wire, the light, and like all the vines wrapped around the model’s body. It just made such a statement to me. Also, Anna’s (Ostentacious) pieces at the end were just beautiful. I think I really just appreciated how much diversity there was in the show too, and how everybody was just able to totally be themselves.”
Admitting she had a slight bias towards Desdemona’s designs, Dufraimont said she loved what her friend displayed.
“I really loved the storytelling she incorporated into hers, and how each of the designs helped each other to tell the story. I didn’t expect that,” she said. “I also liked how each of the different models modeled the designs in the way that I feel the designer meant it. For example, Prinx Lydia’s designs almost had this more subdued, ominous feel to them, and the models expressed that with the way they posed. And with the music too, how it was incorporated with each designer, it all just added to the whole experience. Between the beautiful designs, the designers themselves, the movement and the music, it was just magical.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
