As independent magazines experience renewed momentum worldwide, Halifax’s growing fashion industry is preparing to add its own voice with the launch of Valentina, a new independent lifestyle and fashion publication dedicated to showcasing Atlantic Canadian talent.
The magazine, launching July 25, arrives amid a broader shift in media consumption. A 2026 Reuters Institute study found that 51 percent of people aged 18 to 24 pay more attention to individual creators than traditional news brands, while fashion industry observers have pointed to a resurgence of independent print publications as readers seek curated, collectable editorial experiences.
For Valentina‘s founders, the publication is intended to fill a gap they believe exists in Nova Scotia’s creative landscape.
“We wanted to really put a spotlight on local designers, local business owners, local models, people who are being creative in the city who just aren’t quite getting the spotlight that they deserve,” says Cailean Jan, owner of Halifax boutique Silk Route, fashion stylist and co-founder of Valentina.
Jan said the publication will highlight the province’s growing creative sector while providing a platform for emerging designers, photographers, businesses and models.
“As you know, Soli has this amazing agency, and I have worked with some of the models from the agency, and I thought, this needs to be talked about more,” she says. “To have the models be in a publication and have them be able to see their work, and the designers locally that are doing such amazing work… people need a space for that.”
The magazine is a collaboration between Jan and Blair Bartlett, House of Soli’s director of photography, a fashion photographer whose work has appeared in international magazine covers. Bartlett has worked in markets including New York and Europe and credits experiences such as visiting Vogue’s offices, meeting Anna Wintour and interacting with internationally renowned designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Jacquemus and Victoria Beckham with helping shape his editorial perspective.
Bartlett says those experiences also highlighted how few editorial opportunities exist for Atlantic Canadian creatives.
“I think it’s been 43 magazine covers internationally now, but it’s just been exciting to see people get represented,” he says. “The unfortunate part is these possibilities are so limited. There’s not enough avenues for us artists and creatives here to have those opportunities. That’s where the development of Valentina came from.”
The publication aims to present Nova Scotia’s fashion industry with the same level of editorial quality found in larger markets.
“The idea is to create a platform that is visually up to standard with other magazines in the industry,” Bartlett says. “We want to show not what we were in the past, but where we can go in the future… We can be just as good as anywhere else.”
Alongside fashion editorials, Valentina will feature local designers, beauty, skincare, entertainment, trends and businesses, creating a lifestyle publication rooted in the province’s creative community.
The inaugural issue also places a strong emphasis on local collaboration, with local talent appearing throughout the publication alongside work from local Nova Scotia designers and creatives. The founders hope the exposure will help elevate the province’s fashion industry while introducing readers to talent that often works behind the scenes.
Jan said the magazine is intended to be sustained through advertising partnerships while remaining creatively driven.
“For Blair and I, it really is more about the creativity and making a beautiful magazine,” she says. “But at the end of the day, it is a business and advertising is going to be a really important part of that.”
The pilot issue will retail for $20 and will initially be available directly through the founders before expanding to additional retail locations and online sales.
For Halifax’s fashion community, the founders hope Valentina becomes more than another publication. They envision it as a platform capable of elevating local talent.Â
The inaugural issue of Valentina will officially launch during a reception on July 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at John Fluevog in the Mills Courtyard, 1485 Birmingham St., Halifax. The event will feature cocktails and light refreshments as guests celebrate the publication’s debut.Â
