On 3rd November 2013, I produced, directed and styled Fashion for Cancer – a charity event that aimed to raise money for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, a charity run by Breakthrough Breast Cancer UK. The event combined community brands, such as Muted, Vintage Haus, Bight, Girl Meets Dress, DIXI and others, with De Montfort University Fashion Design students. The latter were phenomenal and were supportive of creative decisions as well as offering expertise in all areas of dressing, styling and designing.
During rehearsals on the day, my emotions were running incredibly high. This event was something that I had been nurturing continuously for the last seven months and I was determined to do my family and the charity justice. I wanted people to believe it was tasteful and respectful of people who had lost someone to breast cancer. I had to continuously remind myself of my own reason behind the event – my sister. For those of you that couldn’t attend, my sister was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a couple of years back, and despite the fact that she has survived the disease and is in a stable recovery space now, this would not be the case if it were not for the research and support that charities, such as Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, can offer to sufferers and their families. Moreover, this event was a way to say thank you to everyone who helped us get through it – the doctors, nurses, charities, family and friends. It was a way to honour people who were less fortunate than the Meadway family were and may have lost people to the disease. It is to them, that I wanted to dedicate the event.
On the day, deciding what to wear was an incredibly hard task. I wanted something minimalistic, professional yet fun too, which is why I went for a simple fabric, subtle print yet something that was on trend and stylish. My tartan slip dress was from Zara, burgundy strap heels were from ASOS (a bargain at £22!). Luckily, I had a wonderful team of beauty professionals to help enhance the models beauty – and to make me look presentable to the general public! Hannah Smith, make up artist, Charlotte Green, hairdresser and Kim, nails, were all wonderful to have around on the day and were genuinely interested in the cause and the event.
Photo Taken by Jonathan Lau
As a whole, the event was a complete success and I couldn’t have been prouder of every single person involved. My models were gorgeous, the brands that attended were dedicated and the De Montfort University Fashion Design student designers are an incredibly talented group of people. A further mention must go to Demon Media, Ian and Chris, my dressers, the SU and my family and friends. Without you, the event would not have been possible. And it is to every single person who turned up that I will forever be grateful, for, you made my dream come true and helped us raise money for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. Together, we can beat breast cancer.
Photo taken by Jonathan Lau
