Fighting Breast Cancer with Style

Breast cancer awareness took the runway at the Spring 2010 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September to mark a milestone for a global charitable organization.

As a worldwide initiative of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) is in its 15th year of helping women diagnosed with breast cancer gain access to reliable health information and quality health care. Over the years, the foundation has raised more than $50 million for breast cancer charities worldwide. Its network of supporters includes fashion designers, models, and retailers.

In commemoration of its 15th anniversary, the CFDA teamed up with multimedia retailer QVC to create QVC Designer Charms for Charity. The collection features charms from some of CFDA’s top designers, including Robert Lee Morris, Anthony Nak, Bradley Bayou, George Simonton, and Marc Bouwer. The crowning jewel of the collection is the 15th Anniversary FTBC charm. The pieces were also featured in QVC’s broadcasts from Fashion Week and they were also available for purchase on QVC’s website.

“It is an honor to be working with the CFDA for this wonderful cause,” said Claire Watts, president of U.S. Commerce for QVC. “Not only is it a great way for our shoppers to purchase one of these exclusive charms but it also allows them to give back to a great organization.”

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer was the initial inspiration of Ralph Lauren after the loss of his close friend Nina Hyde. According to Diane von Furstenberg, president of the CFDA, “Nina Hyde, who was a very important fashion journalist from The Washington Post, got breast cancer, and it was really early on and unfortunately, she passed away. She was very close to Ralph Lauren, and Ralph Lauren really wanted to do something.” The initiative was launched in 1994 at the White House during a reception for CFDA members and leaders in the fashion industry, hosted by then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

FTBC has blossomed to become the global fashion community’s most successful response to breast cancer, with active campaigns in Australia, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Canada, Brazil, Turkey, Portugal, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its primary goal is to impact the broadest number of women possible through the distribution of innovative information, education and outreach.

“It’s an overwhelming problem, and it’s really hard to see how you can help,” said Lily Cole, a model featured in a Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign. “By supporting Fashion Targets Breast Cancer worldwide, it’s a simple way to make a big difference.”

For more information on the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, please visit www.fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org

Author: Jessica Ferreira

Add a comment November 12, 2009

Famous Faces in the Fight against Breast Cancer

Some of Hollywood’s highest-profile women are standing strong in the the face of breast cancer and sharing their stories with the world in hopes of finding a cure. 

Although only 36 years old, TV star and Broadway starlet Christina Applegate faced a major decision in 2008 when doctors found cancerous lumps in one of her breasts. She looked to her mother, a repeat breast cancer survivor, for the strength to make the right decision. She decided to go ahead with a double mastectomy and later underwent reconstructive surgery. She is now a very public advocate for the fight against breast cancer and she talked about her personal experience and her goals as a survivor in an interview with Good Morning America.

Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2006, rocker Sheryl Crow had a new outlook on life and decided to adopt a child, her son Wyatt, in 2007. As she told Glamour magazine,  ”Having cancer made me say ‘OK, what is it I want from life?’ I thought, if I want to be a mom, there are kids out there that need moms. I think you choose your family. And I did.”

Melissa Etheridge took the stage at the 2005 Grammys in the middle of her battle with breast cancer, and she did it completely bald. “Maybe this’ll help somebody who’s sitting on chemo, laying in bed and going ‘God, I’m bald.” Isn’t this weird? Maybe it’ll help them feel a little better I didn’t know to what extent that would happen,” she told Dateline NBC. Little did she know the impact her perfomance would have. 

On her album Gaia, One Woman’s Journey, singer/actress Olivia Newton-John speaks out about her successful fight against breast cancer in 1992. She also established the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia to increase public awareness of the disease. Her latest development is the Olivia Breast Self-Exam Kit, scheduled to go on sale in October at liv.com

When former Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith had a bout with breast cancer, she relied on the support of her closest friends, including one friend who had successfully fought breast cancer. Jaclyn is especially committed to helping other women the way her friends helped her. She toured the country with the educational program “Strength in Knowing: The Facts and Fiction of Breast Cancer Risk.” 

It may seem as though only women in the spotlight are taking a stand against breast cancer, but Stephen Baldwin proves that some Hollywood hunks are just as involved in the battle against the disease. After his mother Carol founded the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund during her fight with breast cancer, Stephen was inspired by the awareness she was generating on her own and decided to volunteer on behalf of the organization. Since then, all of the Baldwin brothers have been involved and the organization has raised nearly $3 million for research. 

Author: Jessica Ferreira

Add a comment November 12, 2009