Naeem Khan Designs Gold Gala for Mental Health in New York
Designer Naeem Khan has turned two rooms at Spring Studios in Tribeca, New York City, all gold for a mental-health gala on Thursday, 8 October. He is serving as artistic curator for the evening, shaping its look and feel, according to Women's Wear Daily.
The event is the Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Gala, the charity dinner held around World Mental Health Day. It is the fourth annual edition of the gala. Khan said close to 500 people are expected to attend.
He chose the theme “Beneath the Glitter”. The idea is duality. Outward radiance against inner reality.
That thinking runs through the design. The cocktail area is gold with giant disco balls carrying written messages. The dinner room is also all gold, inspired by Studio 54, the 1970s New York nightclub famed for its glittering crowd.
TV creator Bill Lawrence will be honoured at the gala, the group announced earlier this year. Phil Schermer, the chief executive and founder of Project Healthy Minds, the non-profit organiser, leads the organisation.
Project Healthy Minds runs a free online platform for finding mental-health help. Its site describes it as a marketplace where people can search by challenge, price and location, with listings spanning therapy, psychiatry, support groups and self-care apps.
The gala is one of two signature events that week in New York. A fifth annual World Mental Health Day Festival will follow on 10 October, according to PR Newswire. Both are listed for Spring Studios.
What makes this stand out is the pairing. A designer known for eveningwear is using party dressing to talk about what it can hide. Shine first. Then the message underneath.
