Fashion Cares - But does anyone else?

The deep rhythm and beat of a drum, and the sharp echo of a satyr filled the rooms with music. Accompanying the Bhangra beats were flashes of bright coloured saris and silks piercing the gala night at Fashion Cares (Saturday June 04, 2005). The theme this year was Bollywood Cowboy, a sort of West meets East (South east) idea that sent people scurrying through Gerrard Little India for fabrics and ideas. Cowboy hats, kerchiefs and silks also mixed into the dress code and decor. An interesting mix.

The dining room, boutiques and staged areas were setup to the Nines. Beautiful people with their fresh spray-on tans, manicures and pedicures filled the rooms. People were social, merry and having an all out great time. The highlights of the after-dinner show were Pamela Anderson as the Viva Glam (MAC) representative, addressing the crowds, and Jann Arden singing as well as a surprise appearance by Erasure.

Over the years, Fashion Cares has become a monster of an event in comparison to the early days when it was truly a collaboration and tribute to those in fashion art and those affected by HIV and AIDS. When Fashion Cares started 19 years ago, it was still the 80's when people were still sick, and dying. The Fashion Art community was devastated by the AIDS epidemic, which has not shown any reduction in infection over the years. These days, HIV infection has risen among women and children. These statistics are a slap in the face of modernity and change, and remind us that the pan-epidemic cannot be brushed under the carpet. Attention needs to be paid if ever more so vigilant.

This is where my dilemma and sense of dissappointment comes to play with this event. Every year at Fashion Cares the corporate sponsorships get bigger and more lavish, and the crowds gets bigger and more glamourous. I have been volunteering for this event for the last 5 years and each year I wonder how many of these people would truly be here to sponsor or donate if the event itself was not so glamourous. AIDS and HIV my dear readers, are NOT glamorous. It is a disease that has ravaged the world, but with new medical breakthroughs and cocktails patients can live normal lives, never succumbing to the deathly, cadaverous-like symptoms like wasting syndrome, pneumonia, or Kaposi sarcoma. The face of AIDS is changing and the fact that we do not see sick people dying from AIDS does not mean it has gone away.

I can admit it, Beauty sells, and I understand that sores and rotting flesh will not mix well with a $375.00 ticketed chicken dinner, but makeup and hair and clothes can only do so much to mask this disease. I volunteer because HIV and AIDS has affected my life and those of my friends in ways that only we can know. It has ripped into our hearts and our souls and stolen from us something very precious. When I see people at these events I want to ask them why they are here, or who in their lives have been affected by this, not as an accusatory question, but to remind them that there is a 'cause' here. I am not saying that those who have no ties to the cause should not be there, but some honour or tribute should be given to the people who have died and to those who helped support and care for them. I had hoped that there would have been a moment of silence, but like every year the quest for glamour and beauty doesn't have a place for the morbid minute of silence.

Don't get me wrong, Fashion Cares is a beautiful event, and it puts AIDS and the cause on the map. I am thankful for that. I will still continue to volunteer and support the cause in any way I can. I myself had a few drinks, mingled with different people, but I am also accutely aware of the corporate reach it has, but sadly I am unsure about its emotional and personal reach.