This was the best Fashion Cares we experienced. Period.
On Saturday June 3, 2006, the doors of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre opened for M.A.C VIVA GLAM 20.
This was the best Fashion Cares we experienced. Period.
And it's not just according to us. 20th edition of Fashion Cares in Toronto was a huge success by all means, with $850,000 raised for AIDS treatment and research contributing to a glorious grand total of close to 10 million in the past 20 years.
This year, Fashion Cares was a huge difference from a Rio-worthy carnivale of the past years (even though Fashion Cares exists for much better cause than carnivale, that's for sure.)
When the evening opened, patrons were greeted by body painted models handing out long-stem red roses. There were also dancers in the lobby as well as fabulous shopping in the BMO Boutique Ballroom and Fashion Cares Design Retrospective in the main hall featuring magnificent one-of-a-kind creations commissioned to Fashion Cares over the years by Dolce&Gabbana, J.Mascrew, Betsey Johnson, Arkadius and many more.
Can you belive that Fashion Cares attracted more fashion talent that Toronto Fashion Week during its whole existence? At Fashion Cares,international and national designers such as Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli, Elie Saab, Izzy Camilleri, Joeffer Caoc and Comrags contributed their designs over the years, and the best and most memorable episodes were recreated on the catwalk this year.
Some of the most exciting names in international design have contributed to this year's Fashion Cares. They include Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli, Elie Saab, Collette Dinnigan, Vivienne Westwood, Alberta Ferreti, Allesandro Dell'Aqua and Narciso Rodriguez as well as dresses by virtually every Canadian designer that has produced a line in the country.
The top name homegrown fashion designers who share the spotlight include Arthur Mendonca, Farley Chatto, Izzy Camilleri, Joeffer Caoc, Lida Baday, Comrags by Joyce Gunhouse and Judy Cornish and Effigy by Richard Bergeron.
From Circus theme to sexy body-painting presentation (with Maple Leaf raising from model’s nether area which we sort of didn’t quite get), the most memorable moments were recreated, so that those who missed the original performances could fill in the gaps.
"We are so pleased to have had such incredible support from so many talented national and international designers for two decades," says Phillip Ing, artistic director and producer of Fashion Cares. "I hope the inclusion of the red dress designs in the runway show will remind us just how far we've come while still reminding us there is still much work to be done in the fight against HIV/AIDS."
At the end of the night, 50 one-of-a-kind red dresses sashayed down the specially designed runway, which was built in the shape of the AIDS ribbon, a symbol of the fight against HIV/AIDS throughout the world. Each dress was also meant to represent the ribbon and the finale of the show saw the white catwalk transformed into red with special lights with all the red dress models walking along the catwalk.
The first dress ever to appear on a Fashion Cares runway was the "Play Safe" dress, created by then up-and-coming Canadian designers Dean and Dan Caten. Over 250 designers have contributed their efforts over the years and in excess of 1,000 couture costumes have been created exclusively for Fashion Cares.
Want to remember this and many other precious Fashion Cares moments? Grab Fashion Cares 20, a commemorative book chronicling the event.
"We are thrilled that we have had such incredible support over the past 20 years," says Stephen Brown, Chair, Fashion Cares. "M•A•C VIVA GLAM 20 will highlight how Fashion Cares has evolved over the years, while continuing to bring awareness about HIV/AIDS and raise much needed funds for ACT's programs and services."
Each year, an estimated 4,000 Canadians are infected with HIV - the AIDS virus. Currently, an estimated 56,000 Canadians live with HIV/AIDS, with over 30% per cent unaware that they are infected. Ontario holds the highest number of positive HIV test reports in Canada, accounting for over 44% of the national total. Among the positive test reports in Ontario, 63% were reported in Toronto. Since 1985, men have accounted for 85% of all positive HIV test reports. Of those, men who have sex with men account for 73%.
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