Christian Siriano Hosts Pink Fantasy Charity Fashion Show
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Christian Siriano on Thursday night hosted his first charity fashion show at his Westport, Connecticut, store, The Collective West, in support of the nonprofit organization for breast cancer Pink Aid.
Founded in 2011 by Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, Amy Katz, Amy Gross and Renée Mandis in Westport, Pink Aid is the “only national organization that provides compassionate support and rapid emergency financial assistance to patients in treatment, supporting families during this critical time,” as stated on its website.
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“Pink Aid’s mission is to provide compassionate support, critical resources and emergency financial assistance to underserved breast cancer patients and their families,” Mitchell-Namdar said ahead of the runway show, adding the company has been able to support more than 20,000 women across 40 states.
“We like to say that Pink Aid is at the intersection of breast cancer and poverty. According to a new study done in February 2023 by the American Medical Association, over 35 percent of breast cancer patients in the U.S. will face financial toxicity while they’re battling the disease and in treatment. While there are so many organizations that find very needed research, we started Pink Aid really to keep lights on and food on the table; to help financially insecure patients pay their bills, and provide compassionate services to help them make it through treatment so that they can then return to their productive lives,” Mandis said, adding the company is now looking for a national sponsor to meet their goal of “turning 50 states pink.”
“I’ve been in this business now for 15 years. You meet every type of woman when you make clothes, right? I just kept hearing so many horrible stories of so many women that are struggling so much. I actually think people don’t realize how hard it is for daily life,” Siriano said backstage, adding the charity is close to his heart. “I just wanted people to get a bit of fantasy, because they don’t get to see fashion.”
The sold-out show raised money for the breast cancer organization through ticket sales and seated 205 survivors, friends and supporters, including the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Natasha Beddingfield, Ken Downing and Rosie Perez.
“It’s so nice sometimes when you do a fashion show outside of the normal world because you can feel the audience, they get a little more excited. It feels good. It’s always nice to do it for those people — they’re the customers, they’re the ones actually buying the clothes, so you have to give them something too,” Siriano added.
Titled “Pink Fantasy Fashion Show,” Siriano’s 25 runway looks spanned from archival silhouettes (dating back 10 years) to a select number of new styles, all in various shades of pink, including the viral Barbie pink.
“I pulled out some of my archive pieces for a reason. I thought, ‘You know what, they sit there, nothing’s happened to them.’ Some of the pieces have never been on a runway as they were from resort collections. We wanted things that had never been really seen,” he said, adding the idea of sustainability, by giving clothes a new life, was also part of the conversation.
The lineup was optimistic, joyful and exuded plenty of feel-good fantasy, which he continually, and excellently, delivers.
For instance, he showed bright fuchsia gowns and ruffle-sleeve suiting from his resort 2023 collection, a sleek baby pink corset look from pre-fall 2023, an extravagant pouf ball skirt from spring 2021, a selection of adorable matching pink plaid sets from resort 2019, striped ensembles from resort 2017 and many more.
The show closed with one of Siriano’s newest creations: a voluminous, frothy tulle ball skirt with a sheer black crop top, covered in 3D butterfly appliques. Always finding new ways to excite and engage his community, Siriano said the new looks will be available for purchase.
Launch Gallery: Christian Siriano Pink Fantasy Charity Fashion Show Runway
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