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On Saturday, dozens of models hit the runway at the Kwanlin Dun Centre.
The event marks the Yukon’s first fashion week, which was organized by the Canadian Arts, Culture and Community Foundation. The non-profit has also put on shows in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Surrey, Toronto and Winnipeg.
The show featured designs from ten different diverse designers and models from both in and out of the territory, many of them Indigenous.
Presenters pose at Whitehorse Fashion Week 2026. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)
Annie Manjuran, founder and CEO of The Canadian National Fashion Show, said she was thrilled by the attendance for the inaugural show and blown away by the “commmunity, the art, and the culture.”
“One hundred per cent we are coming back to the Yukon,” she said.
Manjuran says she select the Yukon because she felt it was important to try and connect the North to the wider fashion community in Canada.
Annie Manjuran is founder and CEO of The Canadian National Fashion Show. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)
Cree designer Priscilla Trimble, who goes by Cilla Bean, is originally from Winnipeg. She said the opportunity to showcase her work in Whitehorse meant the world.
“Being in the Yukon has just changed up the game for me,” she said. “Everyone has been treating me like the superstar that I believe that I am… I’m very grateful.”
For Trimble, fashion is personal.
She says creativity and freedom of expression, along with traditional healing, helped her recover from alcoholism.
Creators like Nehal Aggarwal said the event was a “perfect opportunity” for young, up and coming designers to see their work reach a bigger audience.
Designer Nehal Aggarwal receives applause for her collection at Whitehorse Fashion Week 2026. (Caitrin Pilkington/CBC)
For a number of models, the show offered a rare chance to show off their skills and expand their portfolios in the north. Jenaya Nayak walked the runway and was crowned Miss Teen Western Canada at the event.
“It puts a platform for me and other women, especially young Indigenous women, to show that we can accomplish our dreams,” she said. “I’m living my dream, I’m modelling, and I’m just grateful for the opportunities I’m getting.”
She plans to go on and compete at the international Miss Universe pageant level next year.
Whitehorse fashion week will return to the territory in 2027.
