Edward Chapman WOMAN brings 65 Red Roses to South Granville

Edward Chapman WOMAN and cystic fibrosis unite
to continue the legacy of Eva Markvoort.

 
She was beautiful, brave, clever, loved life, fashion, her wide circle of friends and touched the lives of all she met. This remarkable young woman died last March just before her 26th birthday, after a lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis.

Eva Markvoort has gone, but her indomitable spirit will live on through an imaginative endeavour – 65 Red Roses Passion for Fashion: A Beautiful Legacy. There could be no better testimonial to her precious life than this collaboration between Edward Chapman Woman/Circa Ici, the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and dozens of Canadian artists.

Last May, 65 of Canada’s leading artists – including Robert Bateman, Robert Genn and Angela Au Hemphill – each contributed an eight by 10-inch wooden tile with the artist’s interpretation of a single red rose as a tribute to Eva. The tiles were then assembled into a marvellous bouquet of delicate, elegant, whimsical and quirky roses. This one-of-a-kind art project called 65 Red Roses has been donated by the Federation of Canadian Artists to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to use as a fundraising tool to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis. The painting is on display in the window of Chapman’s flagship store, 2596 Granville Street, and is available in poster format.

65 Roses is a child’s malapropism for cystic fibrosis. Red was Eva’s favourite colour and fashion was indeed her passion. “She was glamourous and gorgeous and a total fashionista,” says ECW/ CI buyer Nancy Lyall. “She could wear anything; she was really into retro stuff and she looked awesome in everything she wore,” says her mother Janet Brine. “She even dyed her hair bright fluorescent red.”

The threads of Eva’s story are woven through myriad other lives, not least of which is filmmakers Philip Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji’s award-winning documentary of her life up to 2007 entitled 65_Red Roses. They, along with many others who had crossed her path, were overwhelmed by her strength, courage and her sheer willpower in battling cystic fibrosis.

In her short life she worked valiantly to educate people about the disease, as well as organ donation, a subject she knew all too well, having survived for a short while after a double-lung transplant. She reached out to thousands of people across the world through her popular blog, 65_Red Roses.

Even in failing health she continued to raise money for the cause, just months before her death streaming a video from her bed, singing with friends to raise almost $6,000.

“A mark on the world, a difference, some proof that i had been here, something to say that i mattered, that when my body left this world my soul had made its imprint.” Eva Dien Brine Markvoort (1984 – 2010)

John Rea, President of ECW/CI, says his store is proud to be part of the 65 Red Roses Passion for Fashion project.

Edward Chapman WOMAN's Passion For Fashion, supporting the legacy of Eva Markvoort

“We are very dedicated in our commitment to support Eva Markvoort’s legacy. We want our customers to know just what an amazing and passionate person Eva was, and hope in our small way we can help ensure her wishes of continuing to build a longlasting, meaningful legacy will be met.”

Every customer who donates $65 or more will receive a $65 Red Roses coupon to redeem with a $300 purchase at any of three ECW/CI Lower Mainland stores. The funds raised through the 65 Red Roses Passion for Fashion initiative will further research and help find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

“We are very grateful to Edward Chapman Woman/Circa Ici for joining us in the fight against cystic fibrosis in honour of Eva. The funds raised will accelerate the research efforts in our quest to find a cure for cystic fibrosis,” says Martina Meckova, Director of the Lower Mainland Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “Eva’s love and legacy will continue to live in our hearts forever.”