LaSalle College graduates are taking over the runway on Wednesday night, ready to show off their fashion.
At the Grand Quai in the Old Port, the iconic event once again shines a spotlight on a new generation of designers—ready to make their mark, both here at home and on the international stage.
“Everyone really comes together, the models, the teachers, the students. There’s so much that goes into this and to see it looks so beautiful and be such a spectacle and so influential —it’s really really rewarding,” said Danielle Battistelli, a fashion graduate at LaSalle College.
Nearly 400 creations hit the runway, designed by close to 80 LaSalle College graduates, across three showcases.
Battistelli’s collection focuses on sustainable leather, and one of her designs was honoured with a sustainability award.
“So we got leather, dead stock from Bombardier. This is actually left over from the AGX7 private jet. Then I took it and I decided to do my personal collection with it because sustainability is a cornerstone of my design process,” said Battistelli.
The 2026 edition featured the work of the very first graduating class specializing in footwear, accessories, and technical garments.
“That actually came from partly the industry demand, but also the students were saying, we would like to learn how to design shoes and how to design bags,” said Andrew McNally, the Dean of Fashion at LaSalle College.
Michael Onyeleonu, a graduate at Lassalle College, said, “I’ve always wanted to study shoe making. So I literally just moved from Toronto down here, and I started the program, and it was the best decision I ever made.”
For this show, Onyeleonu made boots, sneakers, and these square-toe leather mules.
“This year the whole sustainability, eco-conception, upcycling is extremely strong, but brought in a design approach,” said McNally.
For students, the show also marks the end of a three-year journey they will remember forever.
“The freedom, the friendships, being able to look over and there’s five different people you can ask their opinion or advice for and the community that we’ve built here is something I’m really going to miss in my day-to-day. Honestly, it’s incredible,” said Battistelli.
Onyeleonu added, “I would miss the techno space, on the sixth floor. There’s a lot of machines there, literally anything you need for shoe making and accessories, you can find there. So I would really miss that.”
