Canada’s ‘fashion fairy godmother’ is being pushed out of society circles after she had dinner at Mar-a-Lago and posted an image of herself with Donald Trump on Instagram.
Suzanne Rogers, a socialite philanthropist who married Rogers telecom heir and Toronto Blue Jays owner Edward Rogers – worth $11.57 billion – in 2006, is as famous for her over-the-top fashion statements as she is for sharing her family’s wealth.
But her years of goodwill backing up-and-coming fashion stars, investing millions in Suzanne Rogers Fashion Institute at the Ryerson School of Fashion and raising nearly $4 million children’s charities were quickly erased after she faced fierce criticism for the snap with the former president.
‘People in Canada hate (Trump) … It’s image suicide,’ a Canadian insider told Page Six.
‘She’s become persona non grata. She’s a huge donor to [the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards] which is our version of the [Council of Fashion Designers of America], and two people even resigned from the board because of it.’
A spokesperson for the Rogers family told Page Six that they were at Mar-a-Lago for a family dinner.
‘They were there for a family dinner. No one in the family has ever met him until a few seconds prior to departing while walking out,’ the spokesperson said.
This Instagram photo post by Canada’s Suzanne Rogers, which was deleted, created a sort of international scandal because of Canada’s strong feelings against the former US president
Suzann Rodger, pictured here at the 2017 ‘House of Z’ premiere, has been in hot water with Canada’s fashion world after posting a picture of her with Donald Trump
Suzanne Rodgers posted this message on Instagram after the photo with Trump sparked controversy
Rogers tried to do damage control by issuing a statement on Instagram, saying: ‘I do not have any kind of relationship with Donald Trump, good or otherwise.’
‘I regret that my actions caused anyone to question my values or commitments to the communities and causes my family and I hold so dear,’ she said in the social media post.
But it didn’t seem to help, and as criticism piled up, she was uninvited from the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards, the annual Suzanne Rogers Designer Grant Award was deferred, and at least two people resigned from the awards board in a sign of protest.
The president of the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards ‘made the decision to defer The Suzanne Rogers Designer Grant Award and Suzanne Rogers will not be attending this year’s Gala,’ Page Six reported.
The seventh annual awards gala, where a designer receives the Suzanne Rogers Designer Grant Award, will be hosted virtually on May 19 this year.
Ironically, the event is described as a unique evening that ‘unite Canadian talent and fashion leaders from all over the world,’ except Rogers will not be invited.
Suzanne’s philanthopy in the fashion world drew many international celebrity designers, including Victoria Beckham and Zac Posen, to Canada for high society events.
Canadian designer Michael Zoffranieri, who admitted he benefitted from Rogers’ backing, was one of the first of many to publicly distance himself from her and her family, saying on Instagram, ‘We do not stand for white supremacy,’ Refinery29.com reported.
Suzanne (right) married Edward Roger (left), who’s worth $11.57 billion, in 2006 and they have a daughter Chloe (middle)
Suzanne Rogers, known as Canada’s ‘fashion fairy godmother’ because of her fashion statements and hairstyles, has a long history of philanthropy that was seemingly erased after one photo with Trump. Suzanne’s philantrhopy has drawn a host of celebrity designers to Canada, including Victoria Beckham (right) and Zac Posen (left).
The Ryerson School of Fashion, to which Suzanne has donated millions over the past years, also criticized her in a post, which has since been deleted, according to Refinery29.com.
In a tweeted statement, it said the the curriculum and culture at the school of fashion ‘actively works to challenge, resist and undo the values, structures and practices of white supremacy, exclusion and discrimination that we feel Trump actively enforced and executed during his time [in office].’
The post also called out the impact of his presidency on ‘members of the fashion industry who are low income, black, brown, Asian, disabled, indigenous, trans, queer and/or part of other systemically marginalized communities.’
After that post was removed Ryerson University issued a new, more generic statement about school’s values and diversity.
‘A previous post from the School of Fashion was not endorsed by Ryerson University and does not reflect Ryerson’s views,’ it said in its new statement.
‘We are dedicted to creating and maintaining a culture that echoes our values and demonstrates a commitment to the whole person. At the same time, we will continue to seek out new ideas, we will remain curious about perspectives we do not yet know and we will be respectful of differing viewpoints.’
On the school’s website, it still states: ‘The Suzanne Rogers Fashion Institute (SRFI) is made possible through the generous gift from The Edward and Suzanne Rogers Foundation.’
This was the second of two tweeted statements from Ryerson University after Rogers’ photo with Trump. The first once was deleted
Suzanne speaks at the Curated Canadian Collections during London Fashion Week 2018