Halifax Fashion Week 2026: ROOTED wraps its fifth year

Halifax Fashion Week has wrapped its fifth anniversary, and the most talked-about night of the run is now in the rearview mirror. The event, put on by House of Soli Fashion under the theme ROOTED, ran from August 8 to August 15, and the centrepiece was the ROOTED Indigenous & Ready-to-Wear Runway, which took over the Emera Oval on Wednesday, August 12, from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.

The choice of venue was no accident. The Emera Oval, sitting on the Halifax North Common at the corner of North Street and Cogswell Street, is a year-round outdoor facility that opened in 2010, and it served as the runway for the Indigenous-focused shows. Turning an outdoor oval into a fashion runway is a bold move, and it set the tone for a night that leaned into the ROOTED theme by putting Indigenous designers front and centre. The whole thing ran from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM, so it was a long evening of clothing and culture rather than a quick walk-through.

The week didn't end there, though. The closing night, the ROOTED 5th Anniversary Closing Night, took place on Saturday, August 15, at the Light House Arts Centre over on Argyle Street, running from 7:00 PM right through to midnight with doors opening at 6:00 PM. That show brought together a wide range of designers: Khush Mizaj, Eli'sawey Designs, The Silk Route, Be Chic, MICHAEL by Drunk Gurl Collection, and a Special Surprise. It was a fitting way to cap five years of the event, moving from the outdoor oval back into the heart of downtown for the finale.

A few of the names on that closing bill are worth knowing if you're following the local scene. Eli'sawey Designs is the work of Susan Hill, a Mi'kmaq/Iroquois sewist who was part of the second cohort of the Indigenous Fashion Support Program at Toronto Metropolitan University's Fashion Zone, so the runway connection runs deep. The Silk Route, run by Cailean Jan, is a boutique over on Birmingham Street that sources from Kashmir — hand-carved jewellery boxes, pashmina shawls, and hand-knotted rugs — and it had just launched a line of genuine leather bags earlier in the month. And Khush Mizaj is the go-to for South Asian clothing in the region, with everything from bridal lehengas to sherwanis and kids' ethnic wear, and a physical presence over at Midnight Run in Middle Sackville.

Between the two venues, the week covered a lot of ground. The Emera Oval, at 5775 Cogswell Street, is the kind of place that's usually busy with skating or public events, so seeing it turned into a runway for Indigenous designers was a moment in itself. The Light House Arts Centre, at 1800 Argyle Street across from City Hall, is a multi-level hub with a performance hall and studios, and it's where the week finally landed for its anniversary bow. With the closing night now behind us, Halifax Fashion Week has put its fifth year in the books, and the ROOTED theme left a mark on both the North Common and downtown.