At Brooklyn’s iconic central library, The People’s Ball gave a center stage to real haute couture and creativity. This year’s theme was to highlight the enduring legacy of American fashion in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The shy scooted along to shouts of encouragement, while the brave sashayed to thunderous applause. Music and the arts lit up the night. Against the backdrop of a growing cost-of-living crisis and a tense political environment, the evening revealed a deeper, underlying message: the importance of an economy and democracy that prioritizes the needs of everyday working people in the fashion industry and beyond.
“The People’s Ball embodies the mission of [Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)] to champion free expression and to provide access to books, technology, art, and culture to people from all walks of life,” said a BPL spokesperson.
Ariama C. Long photos
Ahead of the fashion show, attendees practice their poses. 
At the sign up tables, walk-in and rookie models get ready. 
The People’s Ball is held in the lobby of the central library branch. 
Attendees to the 2026 People’s Ball. 
Snapshot of the audience at the 2026 People’s Ball. 
Tony Award® winner and three-time Grammy nominee, Melba Moore (left) and co-host Ariel Palanco (right). 
Knit designers show off their collection from head to shoe. 
Participant models a three-piece blue suit. 
Designer shows off a black suit with rhinestones. 
The 2026 People’s Ball honorees from left to right: designer Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo); model and activist Bethann Hardison; and creative director June Ambrose. 
Attendees line up outside the library. 
Model dominated the catwalk in urban wear at the Brooklyn Public Library for the 2026 People’s Ball on Sunday, May 3, 2026. Credit: Ariama C. Long photo 
An eight-year-old model takes the stage. 
Model struts down the runway in shiny Black boots. 
Participant shows off a denim cape ensemble. 
Attendee rocks a pantsuit with flare. 
A lady in red graces the stage with poise. 
Pioneering model and activist, Bethann Hardison (right), is interviewed on the runway at the BPL fashion show on May 3. 
Inspired by carnival, a designer shows off his feathers and sequins. 
A 16-year-old designer shows off her skills.
The annual fashion show is held on the eve of the city’s elite Metropolitan Museum of Art Gala, and celebrates personal style and inclusivity. Unlike the Met Gala, anyone can walk the runway at The People’s Ball.
“A night to celebrate each other and your gorgeous and most authentic selves,” said co-host Bevy Smith.
There’s also a distinct lack of tech billionaires here, joked co-host Ariel Polanco.
There is a focus on allowing local Black and Brown designers, city residents, fashion enthusiasts, budding business owners, young and elder models at any age, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities their moment to shine.
The Brooklyn Public Library held the 2026 People’s Ball on Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Ariama C. Long video)
“My brand, to me, is faith plus fashion. I just want everybody to walk in their own skin, be who they want to be,” said Slim, the creator of Islamifly street wear. A designer by nature, he said he’s usually behind the scenes, but decided to model his own designs this year.
The BPL started this festive free event in 2018, with support from the state’s Council on the Arts, the Governor’s office, and the New York State Legislature. It was co-curated by Souleo, who has collaborated with noteworthy institutions and brands such as the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, BPL Center for Brooklyn History, Museum of Arts and Design, Columbia University, Newark Museum of Art, Nordstrom, and AARP.
“Whether it was their intention or not, they were practicing racism,” said pioneering model and activist Bethann Hardison, one of this year’s People’s Ball honorees, about the fashion industry in her youth. She founded Bethann Management and transformed global fashion by championing diversity and inclusion through the Black Girls Coalition in 1988 and the Diversity Coalition in 2013.
Along with Hardison, this year’s honorees include award-winning creative director, costume designer, and entrepreneur June Ambrose; and Patricia Michaels (Taos Pueblo), an internationally celebrated Native American fashion and textile designer known for blending Indigenous artistry with contemporary couture.
For more info, visit bklynlibrary.org/the-peoples-ball.