Fashion With A Heart.
By: Hina P. Ansari
Photography by Candice Kaye /CPFW
In mid-June, the uber sexy Thompson Hotel played host to a fabulous evening of charity, heart and Filipino couture as part of night two of PLDT Canada Philippine Fashion Week festivities.
The "Fashion With A Heart" event took place at the hotel's rooftop terrace which bustled with revellers, all graced by the picturesque backdrop of Toronto at dusk. They all came together to honour the Kol Hope Foundation for Children's collaboration with World Vision Canada.
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A-listers from the Canadian and Filipino fashion scene came together to raise a champagne toast for CPFW's Executive Director and Founder as well as Founder of the Kol Hope Foundation for Children, Jeff Rustia and his family.
Notables who were in attendance included renowned designers from Manila including Frances Libiran, Nat Manilag, Filipino supermodel Ria Bolivar, Miss Universe Canada Riza Santos (who also graced the stage for a riveting solo performance), CPFW Spokesmodel Kesiah Papasin, President of Kol Hope Foundation For Children, Melinda Rustia as well as Canadian jewellery designer, Jon De Porter.
Jon De Porter donated his premiere piece, a fantastic floral pin hand crafted after the national flower of The Philippines, the Sampaguita which is anchored by a ravishing Golden South Sea Pearl (the most coveted pearl in the world) valued at $1100 CDN. He also created an exclusive line of eye-popping jewellery as part of Francis Libiran's collection. A portion of sales, 25% from Jon De Porter's collection was donated to the Kol Hope Foundation For Children.
The evening also celebrated a retrospective on the Filipino model scene with a special coffee table book, RampDiva: Filipina which was authored by designer, John Ablaza, chronicling the fabulous fashionable contributions from the Philippine fashion world, dating from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Jeff Rustia graced the podium and graciously thanked his friends, supporters and all those who were in attendance for supporting the Kol Hope Foundation For Children.