Emerging Montreal designers showcased their work in the year-end fashion show, Dusk Till Dawn
Nicole Krause Sotelo, CFBA’s director of events, said planning began back in September, with the theme centering transformation and growth.
“The process from night to day, growing up, sunrises and something fun and happy, which is something that we’re trying to showcase in the show,” Sotelo said.
This year, the show was held at the Salon Richmond, an ethereal cathedral set up with immersive lighting and elements like trees, music, and an overall innovative production creating an enchanting ambiance.
The venue was filled with people of all different backgrounds, ranging from emerging creatives in Montreal’s fashion scene to attendees experiencing it for the first time.
With the show selling out a week in advance, Kate Paterson, CFBA’s president, said that the demand for local fashion has definitely grown. This year, 400 attendees filled the cathedral halls in awe of the creativity that stood before them.
“It’s creative to see how the people making the clothes reflect what the models are walking in,” attendee Gloria Riddell said. “So when you see the designers at the end, it makes perfect sense.”
Beyond the runway, the evening featured an intermission dance performance by Molly Fortin and a final walk from the entire CFBA team.
CFBA continues to create space for students and community members interested in pursuing a career in fashion.
“I hope that they feel a sense of pride to be a part of such an amazing community in Montreal,” Paterson said.
The night spotlighted a range of emerging designers and stylists, each bringing a distinct perspective to the runway.
Stylist: Micaela Gomes
Micaela Gomes featured her first self-titled collection as this year’s only stylist on the CFBA runway.
Her collection takes viewers through layers of lace, gothic influence and lingerie inspired by Gomes’ own personal pieces, many of them featuring a treble clef to symbolize her love for music.
“Making this collection has been sort of a full circle moment,” she said. “These are all clothes and outfits I envisioned myself in as a little girl, and now being older, I’m able to put it all together.”
A lot of Gomes’ collection is personalized, from sourcing clothes from her and her friends’ closets to modelling the final look, as a way to challenge herself.
Designer: Sylvia Dai
Sylvia Dai’s self-titled collection features knit and textile work, all handcrafted from primarily second-hand fabric and materials from her family.
“Some of the same yarn that my mother would use to make sweaters for my sister is used in this collection,” Dai said.
Many pieces in this collection were created in 2021-22, with a few remaining pieces constructed recently. They encompass nostalgia, femininity and playfulness, and are inspired by the women around her.
Brokenheart and FashionRockstar
Designers: Jimmy and Dany
Jimmy and Dany, the creators and designers behind Brokenheart, collaborated with FashionRockstar for this collection.
Brokenheart is a brand that pushes against the expectations of the fashion industry through experimentation and craftsmanship.
Both designers focused on finding new and innovative ways to style certain pieces, shifting toward womenswear after primarily working in menswear. They told The Link that they’re currently working on new designs and that they aspire to continue creating and expanding their reach in the fashion industry, with many new designs on the way, ready to be released.
Designer: Ester Gitto
Ester Gitto is an Italian-born designer who recently completed her fashion degree at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. Gitto’s 1st show back in July 2025 was presented in Rome, with one of her looks being featured in Vogue Italia, with the same collection making its way to Montreal for CFBA’s fashion show.
With an overarching theme of dreams, every aspect of Gitto’s collection is intentional, from layering the fabric to symbolize uncovering the different layers of dreams to the process of hiding and unhiding pleats.
Gitto’s process involves hand painting, hand printing and hand sewing—the ultimate culmination of love and passion, and in a lot of ways, her own dreams.
“Reinventing yourself was really at the forefront of the collection, of the concept, of what I want to be as an artist,” Gitto said.
Designer: Tara Aranda
ARANDANO, a brand that focuses on elegance and celebrating women’s femininity, draws from the strength and softness of resilient women. Aranda said the collection reflects a return to the self beyond external noise.
“I also wanted to show the beauty of the world that appears when we block out the noise, a kind of life returning to the source, beyond fashion trends,” she said.
Aranda’s process centers on more than just the creation of clothes, functioning as an expression of her state of mind.
Designer: Mariana Tropea
Mariana Tropea is a student, barre Pilates instructor and owner of Stitchd Montreal, a crochet brand founded in 2020. She also runs Sculptd Montreal, a community-based barre Pilates blog-styled Instagram account.
After retiring from a semi-professional career as a dancer, Tropea found outlets like Pilates and yoga taking over a large part of her life. This collection is a culmination of all of her love for movement.
“I wanted a playful, Pilates-princess inspired lookbook to represent all of the 20-something girls with big dreams and wild ideas,” Tropea said. “From leg warmers, pastel tones and knit shrugs, the playful colours and leg warmer ballet-inspired pieces are reminiscent of my childhood and getting ready for dance.”