Suzanne Rogers brings LoveShackFancy to Toronto — and with it, a sixth chapter in fashion philanthropy’s most treasured love story.
There is a certain magic to the events put on by Suzanne Rogers. People might arrive expecting a fashion show, but they leave having experienced something much more meaningful, something they didn’t entirely anticipate. The clothes are extraordinary — that goes without saying. But it is the cause behind the clothes, and one woman’s steadfast conviction that beauty can do good, that gives the evening its real charge.
In May 2026, Rogers will bring her special alchemy to Suzanne Rogers Presents’ sixth edition with Suzanne Rogers Presents LoveShackFancy. This year’s event, already a beloved Toronto tradition, will serve as an important fundraiser for Jays Care Foundation and SickKids Hospital, two organizations that share a commitment to giving Canadian children the best possible start in life — the former harnessing the power of baseball to build confidence and essential life skills in kids, the latter standing as Canada’s most research-intensive children’s hospital and largest centre in the country dedicated to improving children’s health. This year, the event will be held in collaboration with Rebecca Hessel Cohen, the founder and creative director of LoveShackFancy.
The Suzanne Rogers Presents series began in 2010 with a singular vision: to bring the world’s most storied fashion designers to Toronto, not simply for spectacle, but for purpose. Oscar de la Renta came first, then Marchesa, Zac Posen, Diane von Furstenberg and Victoria Beckham. Each edition raised funds for children’s charities, collectively generating nearly four million dollars to date. It is, by any measure, one of Canada’s most consequential intersections of fashion and philanthropy. For Rogers, it is simply her life’s work.
Rogers was not born into the grand rooms she now fills. She grew up in Elliot Lake, Ontario, the daughter of a miner who died before she turned one, raised by a mother who ran a daycare and shopped at the Salvation Army. Fashion, she has said, gave her a way to express herself long before it gave her a platform. But when it did, she knew exactly how to use it.
“I knew that I was always going to be in children’s charities,” Rogers has said of the conviction that has guided her philanthropic life. That personal and purposeful dimension, and her insistence that joy can be a vehicle for generosity, is what has always distinguished her approach. It is a belief that beauty and goodness are not in competition.
“When You Come to One of My Events, It’s at a Level Where You’ve Never Been Before. People Don’t Expect That Much Attention to Detail.”
This philosophy finds its ideal partner in LoveShackFancy. Founded by Hessel Cohen in 2013, the brand has built a global following on an aesthetic that is unapologetically romantic: an overflow of ruffles, lace, florals, and print, offered to women of every age with equal enthusiasm. It is, in Hessel Cohen’s own framing, a brand that believes being “in love with love” is a state of mind that can take you farther than you ever imagined. Rogers recognized the alignment immediately.
“The event will provide a rare opportunity to experience Rebecca’s signature designs and the world of LoveShackFancy,” Rogers said in a press release. “I am so pleased that she has accepted the invitation to come to Toronto and deeply appreciate her personal commitment and generosity in supporting our children’s charities.”
In our conversation with Rogers, it was immediately apparent how intentional she is with the choices she makes — which designers she pursues, which charities she champions, and which invitations she must decline to protect her enduring focus and philanthropic ambitions.
“With any type of giving, there definitely needs to be a strong connection to what you’re giving to,” she explained. “To really feel passionate about the organization, what they stand for, what they’ve accomplished, what they plan to do.” For Rogers, the common thread behind her giving is always, always children. “The impact that my name can have on these organizations …” she said, pausing. “I take that responsibility very seriously.”
Rogers will host this year’s gala alongside long-time event chair Sylvia Mantella, whom she describes as “an incredible friend and support system.” The evening will feature a fashion presentation followed by a celebration of the LoveShackFancy’s distinctly feminine world. Holt Renfrew is the exclusive retail partner. Rogers Communications Inc. and Mantella Corporation serve as presenting and platinum sponsors respectively.
Asked what she hoped her legacy would be, Rogers answered in a way that was characteristically her — generous, outward-facing and ambitious. “I hope the name Rogers always brings something positive to the community,” she said. “Even if there are some organizations where I might not write a big cheque, if I go to an event, if I show up, if I put a post up about the event, I hope that me being there will attract other people to say, ‘Oh, Suzanne Rogers was at that event. Let me look into it.’”
When Rogers described what she wants guests to feel as they enter a space that has been months in the making, she reached for the sensory: “Once you walk into this event, it’s going to be all roses, flowers, happy, light. You’ll feel lightness. And I think for that evening, for a few hours, you’ll be transported somewhere else and you’ll feel this beautiful sense of connection to the people around you, and to the fashion, too.”
In May, Toronto will find out what that feels like, and the lives of children across Canada will be immeasurably better because a woman who grew up with nothing decided, a long time ago, that beauty should do more than decorate a room.
www.suzannerogerspresents.com
@suzannerogerstoronto
