Cashmere is Canada’s best selling brand of tissue paper and for October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they are giving back in a major way. In a bid to support breast cancer research and for the past 17 years, the Cashmere Collection has showcased amazing couture dresses made out of bathroom tissue. This year was no different. The Cashmere Collection debuted its first-ever virtual runway show on Tuesday, October 6th, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. hosted on CTV’s THE SOCIAL and ETALK’s Facebook pages. To watch a video of the event, click here.
VFRANZ and Joseph Tassoni for the 2020 Cashmere Collection
This year’s theme was the Masquerade Ball – quite befitting for 2020 and the challenge for each designer was to construct an elegant ball gown with a Venetian mask. 15 Canadian designers participated including Joseph Tassoni, Caitlin Power, Paul Hardy and Evan Biddell. The event featured special guest Joe Zee who shared style commentary alongside the THE SOCIAL’s co-host Melissa Grelo and ETALK co-anchor Tyrone Edwards.
In a remarkable stroke of kismet, the 17th annual Cashmere Collection pays homage to two of 2020’s hottest accessory – the mask and bathroom tissue. A long-standing symbol of mystery and intrigue in Venetian tradition, masks have newly emerged as a symbol of safety and saving lives. The Cashmere Masquerade Ball pays homage to both the history and versatility of the face mask, while celebrating how they keep us together, not apart, in 2020.
It was a delight to have been invited to the virtual event and I watched with glee as each model strutted down the runway in a gorgeous couture gown. I have some personal favourites out of the dresses but I will let you be the judge of your best gown. Canadians are invited to vote for their favourite dress at CashmereVoteCouture.com and for each vote, Cashmere will donate $1 (to a maximum of $10,000) to breast cancer efforts at the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). Voters will be entered for a chance to win a $1,500 cash prize and a year’s supply of Cashmere bathroom tissue.
This year, Kruger Products, maker of Cashmere, is also making a generous donation to The Frontline Fund, a network of more than 160 hospital foundations across Canada created to deliver resources to frontline healthcare workers protecting Canadians against COVID-19, in the 2020 collection’s 15 designer names. In addition, throughout October, twenty-five cents from the sale of every specially-marked Cashmere package goes directly towards breast cancer efforts (up to a maximum of $35,000).
Farley Chatto and HOAX Couture for the 2020 Cashmere Collection
“The Cashmere Collection has uplifted Canadian fashion design while providing much-needed support to the Breast Cancer cause for 17 years,” says Susan Irving, Chief Marketing Officer at Kruger Products. “This year, its more important than ever for Canadians to look out for one another and to give back. Kruger Products is committed to building a future without Breast Cancer and we are proud to continue our support of Canada’s design community in the spirit of philanthropy and goodwill; and to continue our support of Canada’s Frontline Fund for healthcare workers.”
CCS is proud to be a champion and voice for Canadians who care about cancer. The organization supports people with all types of cancers in communities across the country. Research investments combined with early detection, increased screening rates and better treatment therapies have resulted in a 44% decrease in the breast cancer death rate since the late 1980s.
CCS is the largest national charitable funder of breast cancer research in Canada and has invested more than $200 million in breast cancer research over the past 10 years. Yet, the pandemic has posed many risks to charities and non-profits in need of funding. And the CCS needs support now more than ever to overcome the single biggest financial challenge it has faced in its 80-year history.
A longstanding and committed contributor to the breast cancer cause, Kruger Products L.P. has supported the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF), now known as the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) since the collection’s debut in 2004, and is currently one of the top five national partners supporting the breast cancer cause at CCS.
How to support:
Vote for your favourite dress at CashmereVoteCouture.com and for each vote, Cashmere will donate $1 (to a maximum of $10,000) to breast cancer efforts at the Canadian Cancer Society.
Which of these dresses will you be voting for?
I’m a seasoned communications and marketing consultant with a penchant for all things stylish and chic. Follow me on social media and subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates on industry trends and much more!