When:  Sunday November 3rd at 4 o’clock

What:  In association with “Fashion Targets breast cancer” and “DMU Square mile” comes Fashion for cancer

Where: DeMontfort Student union, level one.

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It’s not often that fashion and cancer is used in the same sentence.  So I caught up with organiser and DMU student and regular fashion contributor for the site; Katie Meadway to tell us more about the collaboration.

Hello Katie, it’s less than a month till the event how are you feeling?

In one word: terrified. I am really excited yet a little apprehensive as well. This is a huge event which means so much to me and so many others that I want it to be a success and raise as much money as possible.

How much money are you hoping to raise for “Fashion targets breast cancer”?

Ideally I would love to raise £2,000 but to do that we will need a lot of people attending.  In a nutshell the event is guilt free shopping with a fashion show thrown in. The money raised from donations and a percentage of the sales from the brands goes to charity, so in the end you have nothing to feel guilty about.

What initially inspired you to organise such an incredible event?

It was due to somebody very close to me being diagnosed with breast cancer, and since that day I’ve personally tried to do as much as I can for related charities.  I’ve done the moon walk, race for life, as well as various other small events. But I wanted to do something that I can call my own but still make a difference for people suffering and going through such a terrible disease.

What steps did you go to, to organise the event?

Initially I approached DMU’s “Square Mile” project who gave me guidance on how to approach and organise such a huge event. After that it was a case of securing the venue and brands. Basically there was a lot of emailing.

You’ve said before that you’ve worked with various breast cancer charities, how did you find out about “Fashion targets breast cancer”?

I knew that the charity did work with various high street brands such as River Island and Topshop, with a great celebrity backing that I thought it was the best charity under the “Breast Cancer uk” umbrella of charities to choose.  I also chose it as I am so interested in fashion that a charity that incorporates the two was the best route to go down.

Tell the readers about the different brands you have attending

When finding brands to attend the event I wanted new and un-established brands that can get the promotion they need but also raise money for an incredible cause. All of the brands that are attending are incredibly supportive of the charity.  I wanted to keep the styles as varied as possible to try and cater for everyone that will attend. The styles include alternative menswear such as dup dye and rework vintage. There are also Jewellery and accessory brands that are showcasing and selling their works at the event. They are donating a large proportion of their profits to the charity. One of the brands ‘Muted’  are offering shots of sours for a £1, with 100% of the proceeds going to the charity.  

So in a way this a smaller version of what “fashion beats breast cancer” does on annual basis with high street brands isn’t it?

Yes exactly right Ben, I wanted to incorporate what they do but with unknown brands.

Who else have you got attending the event?

The catwalk will be hosted by DSU’s president Ian Warrington and will feature DMU Saints cheerleaders as well as a band called “In flux” who are a “Square mile” project who are going to do an acoustic top 40’s set. Demon media will also be there as the main coverage for the event involving all of the strands.

What promotion so far have you under done?

I’ve set up a Facebook page www.facebook.com/dmuvscancer and Twitter account: @dmuvscancer.   I am also going on GEM radio and BBC radio Leicester to promote the event. Demon media are also heavily promoting the event.  There also posters and flyers which will be going up around all university buildings.

The fashion show not only showcases independent brands but designs from DMU fashion students, Could you tell me a bit about the DMU fashion students…

The designers involved have different styles from tailored menswear, female sportswear, knit and print. There is a lot variety which is what I love; no two designs are the same. At the fitting this Wednesday the models looked amazing in the designers work.  The designers work was spread around all the models, showing how the designers work is a versatile to fit various people.

Were there any pre catwalk cat fights?

No. my models are best friends, we are all one big happy family. As a group we have a lot of hot models to cater for every man and woman’s taste, which is a bonus.

So last question, how much support/reactions have you had so far for the event?

It’s been very over whelming. When I launched the Facebook page one evening in less than 24 hours it had received over 100 likes. In terms of community support, the promo trailer (below) was made curtsey of lotamedia. The brands attending have been also promoting the event. Demon FM has just created a jingle to promote the event and a press release will go out in the next issue of The Demon on Monday 21st October.

Katie, you are organised an amazing event and it seems like so far you have everything under control; you should be so proud of yourself. I am a 100% certain that the event will be a success and that you will beat your target.

Follow the event on Facebook and Twitter now and check out the Fashion for cancer promo video!