Montreal Fashion Week 2026: Gender-Affirming Fashion on the ACMI Runway

So, we walked a runway next to a rainforest.

On September 23, Origami Customs was one of 16 independent designers in the very first runway show from ACMI (The Association of Independent Fashion Designers), held at the Montreal Biodome as part of Montreal Fashion Week 2026.

If you've never been, the Biodome is a living museum inside the old 1976 Olympic velodrome, with five recreated ecosystems of the Americas, from a tropical rainforest to the sub-Antarctic islands. Which means that all night, while models walked by in vintage lingerie and gaffs, you could hear birds calling from the trees. Best soundtrack we've ever had. (Sorry, DJs.)

The Biodome team and ACMI took real care not to disturb the animals: softer lighting, low sound levels, a smaller crowd and an early finish so everyone, feathered or otherwise, could settle in for the night. A beautiful environment of birdsong, tropical leaves and a parade of trans pin-up models in gaffs and bridal lace straight out of an alternate 1950s. 

What If the 1950s Had Trans Pin-ups?

That was the question behind the whole show. What if trans and gender nonconforming people had been just as visible and celebrated in the 1950s as the pin-ups and catalogue models of the era?

We all know the look: perfectly coiffed curls, cinched waists, vintage lingerie and dapper three-piece suits. But back then, only some people were allowed to wear it. Trans folks were absolutely there; it's just that dressing as your authentic self could get you arrested. 

So this runway took the 1950s back. Every collection imagined a version of the era where trans, gender nonconforming, and disabled people weren't hiding. They WERE the glamour. It was generational healing, with better lingerie.

Were We Ready? Honestly, Not Really

To be fully transparent, the weeks before this show were a lot. Four days after the runway, we were producing IN/EX/CLUSIVE, and that took over just about every waking minute. There were definitely moments when we worried the runway wouldn't all come together.

What saved us was thrifting. Every time we found another vintage piece hiding in a thrift store, the vision got a little clearer. A slip here, a robe there, and suddenly the alternate 1950s we'd been dreaming about was hanging on our studio rack.

Then there were the models. We only met them on the day of the show, which is a slightly terrifying thing for a brand built on custom fit. We didn't need to worry. Everyone looked INCREDIBLE.

What We Brought to the Runway

For our looks, we paired our handmade gaffs and binders with vintage lingerie and bridal pieces. Every robe on the runway was vintage, and each one had a whole life before it got to us. We wanted that history on stage too. 

My favourite? A wedding robe I bought from someone's grandmother. It had already carried one person through their wedding day, and this time it carried one of our models down a runway at Montreal Fashion Week. I like to think she'd approve.

The jewellery came from Lord Violet, a Montreal jeweller making edgy, handcrafted pieces inspired by vintage details, Art Deco, and alternative subculture. Brass stars, gold accents, and a little subversive opulence, right at home in our alternate 1950s. (Longtime followers might remember that we had Lord Violet on our runway at Equality Fashion Week in LA also! Some friendships just keep showing up.)

Our Trans Models on a Fashion Week Runway

In the real 1950s, wearing the "wrong" gendered clothes in public could get you arrested. But this September, five trans models walked a Montreal Fashion Week runway, and for one of them, it was her very first runway ever.

I've been making gender-affirming garments for 16 years, and for most of that time, the bodies I sew for were nowhere to be seen at fashion shows. So watching from the side of the stage, I was full of pride and awe. Even a few years ago, I couldn't have pictured this.

It also didn't happen on its own. ACMI put real work into casting trans and disabled models, and it showed. Thank you to everyone who did that outreach, and to the five of you who walked: you were stunning. 

Sixteen Independent Designers in Montreal

Backstage, I finally got to meet the other designers in person:  Eve Lavoie, MAS, Marigold, Jennifer Glasgow, Melow, Selfish Swimwear, Trucs d'Enfants, Chlo by Cokluch, Veinage, Rightful Owner, Pascale Viau, SelfMade, Boutique Lustre, Andrea G, and Bodybag by Jude. Between us, we cover swimwear, childrenswear, bridal, accessories, and gender-affirming garments. And every one of us is up against the same reality.

We all make our work here in Quebec, and that gets harder every year. Tariffs and supply chains keep shifting. Material costs keep climbing. Big brands absorb that with scale and offshore factories. Small studios absorb it with longer hours and thinner margins. (Ask any of us how much we slept in September.)

Making clothes locally keeps the money, the skills and the jobs in our communities, and it keeps the labour behind every garment visible. But none of us can carry that alone. Sharing suppliers, swapping advice, sending clients each other's way and showing up at each other's events is how small businesses are getting through right now.

Why ACMI Matters (And Why We Joined)

That's exactly why ACMI exists. It's a brand-new non-profit founded by eight local designers, by and for independent designers who produce in Quebec. Its values are respect, transparency, collaboration, and local manufacturing, which is pretty much our whole business plan in four words. We're proud to say Origami Customs is a member!

Montreal Fashion Week and MMODE do a lot for this city's fashion scene, but big events aren't built around the realities of tiny studios. ACMI is, and this runway was just the start. The plan is to keep hosting events and offering support, so independent designers in this city have somewhere to turn that actually understands how we work.

From the Runway to Community Events

The ACMI connections didn’t end when the lights went down. Two of my fellow ACMI designers, Yasmine Wasfy of Boutique Lustre and Naomie Caron of Selfish Swimwear, joined me four days later at IN/EX/CLUSIVE for our panel on building size inclusivity into a fashion business. We got into the assumptions baked into "standard" sizing, why bigger sizes get treated like an expensive add-on, and what changes when you design for the actual human in front of you.

Now it’s our turn to show up for Naomie! Beyond swimwear, she’s also the founder of Massimadi, Montreal’s festival of Afro-queer film and art, and its 18th edition runs from October 15 to November 8. You can catch nearly 40 Afro-queer and Indigenous films, an exhibition, panels and workshops with creators, and an Afro drag night. If you’re in Montreal, check out the program and grab tickets!

Thanks for Being Here

To everyone who bought a ticket, shared our posts, or cheered from home: thank you. Huge thanks to ACMI, the Biodome team, Lord Violet, our five models, and some very patient birds.

We make these garments for our community, and you keep showing up for us in return. Your support is how gender-affirming fashion ended up on a Montreal Fashion Week runway this year.