Designing Minds: fashion, entertainment and philanthropy

April 29, 2021

By FAJO’s editorial team

On April 26, a one-of-a-kind fashion auction launched in Canada. Over 50 fashion and accessory brands have partnered with some of Canada’s notable names in entertainment, business, arts and philanthropy sectors to raise funds for the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the New Start Foundation for Addiction and Mental Health.

The online auction is called Designing Minds and will run until Sunday, May 2, 2021, leading up to the Mother’s Day weekend. The auction features a curated selection of jewelry paired with hand-crafted, three-layer, one-of-a-kind masks, created by iconic Canadian designers.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit and provide funding for initiatives and programs to support child and youth mental health initiatives within each organization: Holland Bloorview’s Facing Your Fears program and the New Start Digital Youth Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which benefits youth across Canada.

“In January 2020, Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) reported that over 28,000 youth were waiting for mental health services and specialized resources, with some waiting up to 2.5 years. Due to stay-at-home orders, we’ve only seen these statistics increase,” says Kalandra Roach, Event Director at Kalandra Roach Events and Acting Executive Director at the New Start Foundation. “I created Designing Minds… because traditional fundraising events aren’t able to take place right now, but programs supporting child and youth mental health are essential and need funding to continue to operate. The response from the fashion world has been so overwhelmingly positive … It’s an incredible opportunity to bring so many different artistic perspectives together to help raise funds for Canadian children and youth who are in desperate need of our support right now.”