I next wanted to look into influencers who have/are going through cancer, I hope from this research no only to find out more about living with the disease but also to see what is important to them and if fashion is spoken about in their own work.

Saima Thompson

  

In April 2018 Saima Thompson was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, at 29 years old. Saima is a Pakistani businesswoman who runs a restaurant in south London. She started a blog called Curry and Cancer where she talks about her battle with cancer, she works with a personal trainer and focusses on physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Saima wants to redefine what it means to live with the disease and prove that there is still a joy to be found in life.

Olivia Smith

  

Oliva was in my class at Brighton University in 2016, but I took a sandwich year, and she stayed on. In 2018 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. As her final major project she created cancer chicks a blog for young women who are going through cancer. The blog aims at looking at physical appearance teaching women how to feel confident with there change in appearance. Olivia has 31.5K followers on Instagram, and cancer chicks have 2,342 Followers.

Deborah James

  

Deborah James is a 36-year-old wife and mum of two, who was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer last year. Before she was diagnosed with cancer, she was a deputy head teacher, but now she is a columnist for the sun co-hosts a podcast You, Me and the big C on radio 5 with the recently deceased journalist Rachael Bland and Lauren Mahon. Deborah also has a blog called bowel babe where she documents her life and how to live with cancer. She has also just recently released her first book called ‘F*** Cancer which is about how to live with the disease.

 

Lauren Mahon

Lauren Mahon is 32-year-old Britsh women from London. In August 2016 she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She then had eight rounds of chemotherapy and 21 doses of radiation to get the all clear. Since she got entirely clear, she has been working on lots of projects. She started a social media page and is the face of GirlVcancer the website sells t-shirts with profits going to a range of different partner charities. After Miss Selfridge began selling identical t-shirts which they then pulled they have teamed up with girlvcancer to sell their products. Lauren is also a co-host of You, me and the big C with Deborah James which is a podcast that has honest discussions about cancer and tips to living with it.

From looking at influencers, I have been introduced to lots of different companies and groups that help people with cancer, such as the Radio 5 podcast called You, me and the big C which is incredibly informative and lighthearted. From researching these Influencers I have backed up my original idea that fashion and clothing are essential to people who are going through cancer, this has given me confidence that my work is heading in the right direction.

About 

Care+Wear is a clothing company that was founded in 2014. I found the company two years ago, while at university working on another project. Unfortunately, since then, the original founder of the company who was undergoing chemotherapy has passed away. But his friends and family are carrying on the business and since I last looked it has grown and rebranded.

Care+ Wear is a company that makes clothing for people who are undergoing cancer treatments. They say that they work closely with patents, clinicians, designers to create fashionable, functional clothing. Their main aim is to allow people who are undergoing treatment to feel normal so they can go about there everyday lives without having a constant reminder of their illness Care +Wear is an American company though they do ship all over the world.

 

Products 

Care+Wear sells products for men, women and children. Their first product was the PICC line cover’s which were extremely popular as they were the first of there kind. Previously doctors had advised patients to use an old sock to make a tube to go around the arm. They have five stars on their website and many glowing reviews. The cover’s also come in some colours and sizes so everyone can get one no matter the gender, age or size. There second best selling product is there ODLAR chest 8 port access women’s and men’s hoodies. Their hoodies are made from a cotton/ lyocell blend which is perfect for someone who is going through cancer treatments as the skin is susceptible. They also have two zips that go down from the collarbone perfect for people going through Chemotherapy, dialysis and blood draws. They sell similar clothing for newborn babies and children also.

 

Social Media 

Care+Wear has a great looking website, which is so easy to use and clean. They also have profiles on facebook, twitter, Pinterest, Linkin and Instagram where they have 1,110 followers which is impressive for a relatively new company.

About

My chronic Style is the first clothing range designed for women who suffer from invisible illnesses. The founder of My Chronic Style is Paula P, she suffers from Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Due to her illness, she found that not only was getting up and dressed hard but the idea of having to find something that was comfortable to wear was a huge issue. Because of her illness, Paula needs to wear clothes that are comfortable but aren’t too scruffy looking, so women can leave the house feeling confident about themselves. This is the first clothing range designed for women with chronic illness in the world. The company only started this year so the website is nice but quite basic, I think this will change the longer the company is open. I really like the idea of this company which is to make fashion accessible for all. I have taken inspiration from this company as I really like the message they are sending.

Products 

My Chronic Style sells lots of different ranges of clothing from full outfits, dresses, skirts, tops, trousers, underwear, accessories, sunglasses and nightwear. All the products are available from S to XXXL which is really good as any women of any size could buy the clothing. It doesn’t say on the website where the clothing is made and buys looking at the website I’m assuming that the clothing is made oversea’s which I don’t really agree with. I also think the photoshoots look quite fake photoshopped which I think hurts the brand. But they do have good reviews on there website and it shows that they ship all over the world.

 

Social Media 

My Chronic Style has several social media platforms that they regularly update. They have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter for a new company they have done well to get the followers and customers that they have especially as they haven’t come from a famous background like a lot of other people.

  

Stand up to Cancer is a fundraising telethon on Channel 4. It is an annual campaign that brings the UK together to speed up progress in life-saving cancer research. Stand up to cancer funds research, which takes developments in the labs and accelerates them into brand new tests and treatments for cancer patients who need them. In the 1970s 1 in 4 people survived cancer how it is 2 in 4, stand up to cancer aim is to make it 3 in 4 by the year 2034. Stand up to cancer was originally launched in the US in 2008 and started in the UK in August 2012. The total amount of money raised in 2018 was an amazing 24,638,037.

To help with the fundraising channel 4 do special famous channel 4 shows such as ‘Great British Bake-off’, First Dates, Celebrity Gogglebox which runs for a week then they have a full show with performers, celebrities challenges are fighting cancer. As well as TV shows they also encourage people to fundraise themselves by hosting there own Bake Offs, Come Dine with Me’s etc they even sell packs online that you can buy to start your events with the official logos and face paints. They also sell merchandise you can buy such as T-shirts, bags and bracelets to name a few. They also use social media to gain a following they have 35.6K followers on Instagram, but they also use facebook, twitter and Youtube so they can interact with people across all platforms.

I really like this campaign and I think its a perfect example of how a successful 360-degree campaign is. This campaign uses print, online, tv and radio and even has products to help spread the message about the campaign and to raise money. I will be taking inspiration from this campaign of how to do it successfully, I also love how everything goes together, you can tell that they are all attached to the same campaign.

Before I look into fashion and cancer I want to research Cancer as a whole. If I’m going to use Cancer in my final major project then I want to know everything about it, I’m going to look into what Cancer is, What treatments are on offer and what are the side effects and what Charites/ organizations are available.

What is Cancer? 

Cancer is the name given to a collection of related diseases. In all types of cancer, some of the body’s cells begin to divide without stopping and spread into surrounding tissues. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells.

What treatments are on offer? 

There are a number of treatments on offer for people who are diagnosed with cancer. Before treatment is offered doctors take a number of things into consideration, first, they look at what kind of Cancer it is if it’s in one place they could offer surgery as an option but if the cancer is no contained somewhere in the body they won’t as cancer is highly contagious in the body meaning if it reaches the bloodstream it would be transported all over the body. They also look at how far the cancer is. Cancer is put into four stages;

• stage 0 which means the cancer is located in one place and hasn’t started to spread to any nearby tissue.
• Stage 1 which is small cancer or a tumour that has not grown deeply into nearby tissues.
• Stage 2 and 3 which means there are larger cancers or tumours that have grown more deeply into the nearby tissue.
• Stage 4 at this stage cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body and is terminal.

The treatments on offer to people going through Cancer are

• Surgery
• Radiation
• Hormone Therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted Therapy
• Palliative Care

Sometimes people have more than one treatment for one cancer such as a combination of Radiation and Chemotherapy.

What are the side effects from treatment? 

There are a number of different side effects from these treatments, and every person varies so one person may get really bad side effects or some people get no side effects. The most common side effects from Cancer treatments are;

• Anaemia
• Appetite loss
• Bleeding
• Bruising
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Hair loss
• Mouth ulcers
• Mouth and Throat problems
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Pain
• Skin and nail changes
• Sleep problems
• Some peoples body’s struggle to regulate temperature

Cancer charities/organizations

 

Cancer affects almost everyone with 359,960 cases of cancer recorded in the Uk in 2015, and over 163,444 people died from Cancer in 2016.  Every two minutes someone in the UK are diagnosed with Cancer, and cancer also accounts for more than 28% of all deaths in the UK in 2016. Out of the treatment options, 45% of people go down the surgery route, 27% have radiotherapy and 28% have chemotherapy. Because Cancer is such a huge killer in the UK a number of different charities have been set up to help defeat cancer the most popular is cancer research, Teenage Cancer Trust, Treckstock. A lot of these charities are aimed at a particular group of people or cancer such as Breast Cancer Now and Teenage Cancer Trust. They have also created ribbons that are different colours/ designs that represent the different Cancer’s. There are also a lot of help groups that have been set up to help people who are going through cancer such as Macmillian and Marie Curie.

 

The last group I want to research is illness and fashion, there are so many different illnesses to look into. I said at the beginning of this project that I wanted my Final Major Project to be not only something that I think could make a difference but also something that I fell passionate about and have a connection to. That is why I have chosen to research into Cancer and fashion.

In April 2016 my mum was diagnosed with oesophagal cancer, we found out in May that it was terminal. One of the side effects of having oesophagal cancer was that she found it very difficult to eat this lead to her losing a lot of weight very quickly. She found the weight loss very difficult to deal with, as she couldn’t go out and buy new clothes and her old clothes were falling off her. We ended up buying the nightclothes that she lived in, but because she didn’t want to know what size she was we had to cut the labels out of them. In May we got told that it was terminal and that she only had a few months to live, my mum chose not to have any treatment as the cancer was so aggressive that it wouldn’t have helped and also she didn’t want to go through the pain of Chemotherapy. My mum passed away on the 25th of July 2016, having seen how upset not having the right clothing affected her I want to see if there is anything currently available that would have helped, also how does it differ to a patient that is having treatment?

Alison Lapper MBE is an artist, television presenter, speaker and arts charity patron. Alison has a first class honours degree from Brighton University and is a member of the mouth and foot painting artists.

In 2016 after featuring in lots of documentaries, Alison began a new career as a TV presenter. She co-presented ‘No body’s perfect’ for BBC4, followed by her own take on William Blake for Sky Arts in 2017. Alison Lapper is a well known public figure and regularly talks about her life, she was born with no arms or shortened legs, she was institutionalised at six weeks old and spent the next 17 years at Chailey Heritage in Sussex.

At the age of 19, she got her driving licence and her own flat. She has even written an autobiography ‘My life in my hands’  which has been translated into nine languages.

In 200 Marc Quinn erected a statue of Alison Lapper pregnant in Trafalgar Square. He wanted the statue as the fourth plinth to celebrate ‘Someone who had conquered the outside world.’ In 2012 an inflatable version was used at the Paralympics games opening cemetery.

 

Next, I wanted to research into disabled influencers, if I chose to take disabled fashion forward then I want to know what possible influencers I could use to help promote the event. Influencers are so important to help create a successful 360-degree campaign, not only do they help promote the campaign to a wider audience they also help the campaign to gain higher recognition. I have found four influencers that not only have inspiring stories but also have strong online presents that I think could be useful when creating a 360-degree campaign.

Annie Segarra

  

Annie Segarra also known as Annie Elainey is an American YouTuber. Annie advocates for accessibility, body positivity and media representation of marginalized communities. In 2010 Annie started a YouTube channel about body positivity and having good self- esteem, she also spoke about how she overcame an eating disorder. But in 2010 she was diagnosed with EDS so needs a wheelchair to get around. After watching the women’s marches in 2017, she felt like it lacked visibility of disabled people so she started a T-Shirt range called ‘The Future is accessible’ modelled after ‘The future is female shirts from the ’70s.

Shelby Lynch

  

Shelby Lynch is an up and coming beauty and fashion influencer from England. She has a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, this causes her muscles to get weak over time. She has to use a wheelchair to move around, and a ventilator 24/7 to help her to breathe. Her family have to do everything for her from getting dressed to washing her hair and eating. In an interview, she said that for her independence is key. She recently teamed up with the online retailer Missguided to promote the #Keeponbeingyou campaign. Shelby feels that people don’t think disabled people can be pretty or sexy because of their disability, and that should not be the case. Shelby promotes the message ‘Keep on being you, means to be confident in your own skin, and not letting anyone else in life tell you, you can’t do something.’

Mama Cax

  

Mama Cax is a lifestyle and beauty blogger, she was diagnosed with cancer at age 14 and given three weeks to live. Luckily she survived but she did have to have her left leg amputated. Even though she found it hard, she did not lose her positive approach to life. In an interview, Mama Cax said ‘In many parts of the world, disabled people are excluded. I feel like I’m in a position to make a difference and one day be an advocate for people with disabilities.’ Mama Cax is now a highly successful woman with a huge online following of 163K. She also writes a blog all about travel, food and fashion. She is also a model and has featured in magazines such as Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and ID to name a few. She also featured in the Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive Campaign.

Jordan Bone

  

Jordan Bone is a 28-year old internet sensation, Jordan was paralysed from the chest down at age 15 after being in a car accident. Jordan has no use of her hands or legs and will have to be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Jordan battled with depression for the first few years after her accident, but she found solace in meditation and decided to share her advice on YouTube. She quickly turned into a YouTube star with 200,000 subscribers and 130,000 Instagram followers. She has also worked with brands such as L’Oreal and the Prince’s Trust. She wants to break away from the belief that people with disabilities are held back and become more than just the girl in the wheelchair. She has also released a book talking about her disability and how she has overcome it.

I think all these women are inspirational and are really people we should all look up to, I do find it sad how every single one say’s they feel excluded or ignored in the world. I’ve been advised by my Lecturer to reaserch a women call Alison Lapper a disabled artist who use to go to Brighton University, I think this will be the last person I look into for the disabled group research.

In September 2018, M&S launched its Easy Dressing range for children with physical disabilities aiming at children with special needs. It was said to be the first high street store to come up with a range like it, the range is designed to make getting dressed less stressful for children their parents. The clothing is made with extra space for casts as well as ones with discreet pockets for feeding tubes. The clothing is made using the softest materials with as few seams as possible and hidden care labels so that it won’t irritate the skin. Marks and Spencers got a special doctor who specialises in special needs to help develop the clothing so it really was fit for purpose. The range will benefit so many people as it is reasonably priced ranging from 3 pounds for a baby’s bodysuit to 36 pounds for a children’s winter coat, these prices are the same as there other children’s range which really does make it accessible for all. I have attached some of the campaign images and website images below.

    The range currently caters to children from Newborn to age 16, but hopefully, due to the success of the range, M&S will continue to grow not only the products but the age also. I do think that M&S could have done more for the branding there were no posters or advertising for this brand so if you wernt looking for it you wouldnt of found it, but after looking on M&S’s Facebook page to see what kind of reception this range got I was happy to see that the post revealing the range had over 24,701 shares and 34 thousand comments from parents praising the range this shows just how needed a range like this one and Tommy Hilfiger really is! Again I love the concept of this range is, clothing that is adaptive for disabled people is really needed just like it is for the elderly, I’m happy to see that some really big and well-respected brands have contributed to this cause as it is really needed in the world, I just wish more brands would do the same.

Last summer for my placement year I worked in Amsterdam as part of the Global Communication team for Tommy Hilfiger, while I was there I was lucky enough to attend a TED talk and that TED talk was by a woman called Mindy Scheier. Mindy has a disabled son Oliver who she often use to dress in tracksuits as they were easy for him to wear, but when her son no longer wanted to wear tracksuits and wanted to wear ‘Normal’ clothing like jeans she decided to create them for him she use to go to stores and buy normal clothing but then adapt them at home so her son could wear them. She then realised that there should be someone out there making this kind of clothing for people just like her son, and she went to Tommy Hilfiger. (I have attached the ted talk below)

So in 2016, Tommy Hilfiger launched its Adaptive clothing range for children and adults with physical disabilities. The clothing is classic Tommy Hilfiger with the same logo’s and the clothing is exactly the same as the ‘Normal’ range but with adaptive features. The rage is hugely popular and has just now released its third collection, Tommy is the only high-end company that is doing anything like this. Below I have put screenshots of the website and some of the imagery from the campaigns.

    

As well as the campaign images there is also the website which is where they sell most of the clothing. The website is modern and slick and really easy to navigate. It has two videos on the front page that lets you know what the collection is and what it offers and a huge selection of clothing to choose from. On each product, it gives you several product photos and a video of how the clothing works, as well as a huge amount of information about the product, it’s really easy to read and looks great. I have attached some screenshots below of the website to help illustrate this.

    

I love this campaign I think it is so well done and looks amazing as well as catering for hundreds of people that really need it. This campaign is a huge inspiration for me as it is exactly what I want to achieve for my final major project. I think this is a huge step forward on disabled fashion and really is making a difference in peoples lives, which is what fashion is all about.