Support hospital and help crown Southlake’s “Next Top Model” at upcoming fashion show

October 23, 2025 · 0 Comments

The countdown is on to the ever-popular Whisky, Wine & MR Menswear fashion show.

A fundraising fashion show hosted by Aurora’s MR Menswear and featuring eight physicians from Southlake Health strutting their stuff down the runway, the event will take place this Thursday, October 30, at Newmarket’s NewRoads Performing Arts Centre, beginning at 6.30 p.m.

Proceeds from the fashion show will benefit Southlake’s Regional Cancer Centre, a cause very close to MR Menswear owner Mike Rathe, a cancer warrior who has dedicated so much to a hospital that has helped he and his family in myriad ways.

Tickets for the fashion show are on sale now and organizers are hoping to raise $75,000 to support top quality cancer care close to home.

“Our eight fantastic physician models have raised over $7,300 so far and they are actively fundraising as we speak,” said Dionne Malcolm of the Southlake Health Foundation on Tuesday afternoon. “Two of them actually have match gift opportunities that they’ve secured, so we’re really excited to see them make real progress on fundraising.

“We want the community to come out and support Southlake’s Next Top Model. The physician that raises the most funds will get the esteemed title of Southlake’s Next Top Model, so every dollar is a vote in their favour.”

Five of the eight participating physician models will be taking to the catwalk for the very first time, so excitement around the local hospital is high, Malcolm adds.

Also adding to the excitement are myriad items that have been donated to the event’s silent auction, including a tour of Spring Mill Distillery, and some “amazing items” that have been offered by MR Menswear as well.

“For us, this is an amazingly fun event,” says Malcolm. “It’s full of food, fashion, and philanthropy. You will not have a better time watching these incredible physician models take to the runway and the stage. They have so much fun. The crowd has so much fun, and it’s just a really heartwarming event to see the community come together, all in support of our regional cancer center at Southlake.

“I would like to say how grateful we are to Mike Rathke and the MR committee that supports this event as well. They’ve been doing incredible work putting this event together. I mean, Mike himself has raised over $140,000 since 2016 in support of cancer care at Southlake, and we just couldn’t be more grateful for his support. We continue to fundraise for the Regional Cancer Centre, so this event is absolutely supporting that. Additionally, we are also actively fundraising for emergency care at Southlake as well to renew our spaces in the emergency department, which has happened some already, and then also equipment and technology within the department as well. We continue to have urgent needs across the hospital throughout the year.”

Tickets to Thursday’s event can be secured at southlake.ca/MRMenswear and community members can make donations to support the eight participating physicians at the same link.

Additionally, the event’s silent auction will go live on the website Thursday, October 23, featuring a number of unique items, including a catamaran tour, food and beauty baskets, one-of-a-kind-experiences and more.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter