Dressing room at The Luminary
Photos and looks from Kariat 2
May 11 2026
By Billie Huang
From the girls behind Kairat...
Sam @samdemichieli
From the beginning, I’ve always said kairat is a love letter to all trans women. When you step into our world and witness what happens daily to my sisters across the nation, you will understand why said letters are important. Trans women are always ahead of the curve in fashion and arts and kairat was created to showcase that. Especially in a place like missouri where representation is slim to none. Soulipsism defies the fear mongering state we live in and shows the true spectacle of existing while trans. You cannot erase us when we look this good.
B @222222222hz
Photo by @lightblindme
surrealism lies within a thin veil of the realest
textures, memories, experiences
a familiar color
a comfortable place
disrupted by a shared desire
future is distant yet generations run parallel
empathy for your elders, trauma not so long ago
compassion for yourself but not so sorry for yourself
the liminality between grace and disgrace
Theta @epicshawty69
For the dolls, Kairat is the brand that defines a new wave of fashion by putting Soulipsism on the runway, all so that queer people and women can become empowered and liberated.
Seeing people work together for our community was beautiful. The doctor was in. Healings took place.The American flag that we stepped on. The posters of Sam’s bald head. The carry…
This project is our protest, our statement that we will not disappear, and that we deserve to exist in this world because we are a part of it.
Juno @yunoyanson
So many emotions for this project wow. The show itself, a sacred expression of the duality of this intense tranny experience, became physical for me beyond the runway. Soulipsism was right in front of me, not just a concept anymore but a lived experience. It was beautiful, all of it was so beautiful. To my sisters, thank you for bringing me on this season, it has been such a dream to be apart of something so powerful. This new tranny world is actually everything omgg I love you all!
Soulipsism looksdescriptions/commentary by sam
photos by me
Mother Ori wearing LOOK 01
a true lady in red! we chose ori to open the show because she is one of the most fab dolls in the city. shes also the only one in the show wearing a color! this season was all neutrals down and starting with this rich red fabric was a no-brainer to really emphasize the power of tranny sex goddesses!
Ori: Knowing Sam chose me for such an important role in the show was so heartfelt. i was so nervous about breaking out of the box built for me but Sam and our other sisters reassured me plenty and helped me gain the momentum i needed to kick off this amazing show🤍
Theta wearing LOOK 02
this was one of the most labor intensive looks in the show. After Ky created the initial dress, theta spent hoursssss hand sewing each button on the dress as well as the custom mask. a true collaborative piece that my sisters turned the fuck outttt
Mara wearing LOOK 03
this was one of the first looks conceived for the show, as well as one of the looks i think really embody the elements of fluidity and structure that became the basis of the soulipsism theme
What was your favorite part of Kairat?
Mara: Obviously, wearing this cunty ass dress and being a part of something so loud that it pronounces itself to the community. We are here, the transgender community is here. As an ally, I am so honored to be able to represent this collection. It means so much, like y’all gotta see it.
Austin wearing LOOK 04
this look is one of my favorites because its an homage to one of the first garments i ever made which consisted of a blazer with elongated floor length sleeves (iykyk), the dramatics girllll
Babs wearing LOOK 05
sex sirennnnn, this look was a collaboration between me and theta that took so many different turns, but ended up as this gorgeous paneled black button fantasyyyy
Hannah wearing LOOK 06
with the themes of fluidity and structure mixing with sex i think that this look is really the embodiementttt, the idea of making a garment where you have to not just model but almost become a statue is one of the motifs used to represent a kind of fetish that turns a simple dress into a real artwork.
Xavier wearing LOOK 07
another amazing representation of fluidity captured! ribbon and zippers used to created dramatic fringe that moves alongside the body seamlessly!
Gia wearing LOOK 08
gias look was another one that went through lots of different trials, we wanted the effects to give angel TS in the VS fantasy and using ostrich feathers to create a back border, she literally ascended from the heavens to storm the runway
What was your favorite part of Kairat?
Gia: The fact there’s so many trans girls here, all the girls are here. It’s so empowering to see such beautiful people in the same place, looking amazing, and killing it.
Kellin wearing LOOK 09
this look is also in the more fantasy realm of soulipsism, this dress consists of many layers of stripped cheesecloth fabric sewn on top of each other to create a kind of scale like texture
Korey wearing LOOK 10
another really labor intensive look, this necklace of hundreds of buttons all hand sewn by Ky to create this kind of jewel/crystal illusion while also connecting perfectly to Theta and Babs looks.
What was your favorite part of Kairat?
Korey:
The creation by trans people. Seeing creation and clothing by trans women felt so at home for me. And the dom energy and the penetration energy of it is really appealing to me. Because if Kairat had a dick, it would be a huge one.
Soumir wearing LOOK 11
this look was the very first in the collection to be completed! it consists of one continuous fabric sewn into a braid that creates these liqud like drapes that fit so well into the shows themes.
Daniel wearing LOOK 12
in this look we see that the main focal point is this structured workwear bag that acts almost as its own garment, utility was a big part of our first show and i love how this is another call back to previous work, also huge shoutout to sickly for loaning us the boots for LOOK 07 and LOOK 12
Josué wearing LOOK 13
fun fact about this look i actually followed a star wars cosplay tutorial to create this dramatic hood, i see this look as an homage to the past and present with the use of materials like feathers as well as the pants are actually made from the marc skirt that i wore last season
Viv wearing LOOK 14
this dress was fully created in chicago by juno! using the pattern created by Ky for LOOK 06, we see that this is another garment where the hands are sewn into place to create a statue like figure as well as the petals on the bottom half create a kind of movement similar to noise
Joanie wearing LOOK 15:
i love the way that the closing looks all interact with each other, for this look we chose to have an almost perfect white dress that turns into black by a tulle gradient to create a similar yet contrasted effect with the following look
Xochitl wearing LOOK 16
the closing look! the pure white fantasy that is the full throttle effect of fluidity and structure! all hand sewn by Ky, this look encapsulates the show with every detail! and in our minds collectively we knew xochi was the only one that could do it justice!
Sam wearing LOOK 17:
the only look with an official title, “THE RAVE”, this dress was inspired by the shows opening poem by Joss Barton and mixes the shows elegance fantasy feel with the hard sex club ways of doll hood, and paired with the original Kairat FW25 hoove boots!
I had a wonderful time attending Kairat 2. Everyone involved was amazing, it brought so many people in the St. Louis / Midwest creative scene together.
I wish more local events happened like this regularly, it was awesome to see The Luminary full of people.
Hopefully someone does something soon. Kind of a Lynchian statement but thank you for reading!! Trans art and individuals are important to St. Louis and beyond!