Couture meets compassion as one of Toronto’s most iconic fashion events returns next week, where every look on the runway will be crafted entirely from toilet paper.
Entering its 22nd year of weaving together fashion and creativity, the Cashmere Collection is yet again raising awareness for breast cancer through a spectacular runway event, featuring Canada’s top designers making one-of-a-kind creations with Cashmere Bathroom Tissue.
The extraordinary event is taking over Toronto’s Evergreen Brickworks on Sept. 16. Launched with an initial eight designers in 2004, it now features up to 20 annually, from rising talents to established names, each contributing their unique perspective to a cause that impacts one in eight Canadian women.
Running under the theme “Tapestry of the North,” this year is meant to celebrate the strength, softness and resilience that connects us all, a meaningful way to honour anyone affected by breast cancer and a reminder that no one faces the journey alone. Susan Irving, the chief marketing officer of Kruger Products, says the theme also reflects the power in national pride.
“Following a year filled with so much Canadian pride, this theme brings that spirit of community to the forefront and honours the resilience and strength of breast cancer survivors,” she told Now Toronto.
“It reflects unity and support and has deeply inspired our designers to create pieces that tell meaningful stories through fashion.”
Irving says the runway will feature a thoughtfully curated and diverse roster of designers, including 2022 winner Shaun Mascarenhas. The returning designer’s 2025 piece is infused with intimate storytelling, drawing inspiration from his aunt Oriel’s journey with recurrent breast cancer.
This year, his show-stopping look features a sleek evening gown beneath a voluminous layered cape composed of hundreds of hand-cut strips of bathroom tissue. The cape, hand-painted with beet juice in a delicate ombré from light pink to deep rose, holds a deeper message.
“The gown is meant to symbolize resilience and strength, the same attributes that Oriel demonstrated in order to be alive today,” Mascarenhas said to Now Toronto. “These values are also meant to reflect what Canada stands for – a nation that is strong and proud.”
The gown’s princess seams also mirror the spine; a quiet yet intentional nod to where Oriel’s cancer was found. For Mascarenhas, being able to contribute to the cause produces a tangible, heartfelt fight against a debilitating and devastating disease.
“Designing for the Breast Cancer cause feels extremely humbling, uplifting, and empowering,” he said. “More than a design challenge, this was a labour of love, perseverance and discovery.”
Joining the Collection this year is newcomer Michael Jafine, another Toronto-based designer excited to make his debut.
“To stand alongside past designers whose work is amazing is humbling,” Jafine told Now Toronto.
“I feel grateful to be included as a new voice, with the chance to share my perspective in such a meaningful showcase.”
Jafine’s design blends nostalgia with futurism, “The old world with the modern world,” he said.
“The story is about strength, confidence, and beauty, while also carrying a sense of protection as if the garment itself holds space for the person who wears it,” Jafine added.
The challenge of working with bathroom tissue sparked a shift in Jafine’s creative process.
“Working with such a delicate, unconventional material forced me to reconsider the way garments are constructed and to imagine new possibilities for form and structure,” he explained.
“It pushed me to refine my craft and to embrace fragility as part of the design language. That shift in thinking, reimagining what fashion can be, will stay with me well beyond this collection.”
More than just a fashion show, the Cashmere Collection is a platform for social impact. In the last two decades, the cause has raised over $5 million in support of breast cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment programs for its charitable partners, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I’ve always seen fashion as a unique and powerful platform because it captures attention, sparks emotion and inspires action,” Irving said.
“By transforming bathroom tissue into stunning couture, we’re not just showcasing creativity, we’re celebrating the strength and resilience of those affected by breast cancer, while inviting Canadians to support a cause that has touched so many lives.”
For more information on the Cashmere Collection, click here.
