Breast Cancer Now: The Show
Breast Cancer Now: The Show was one of the most emotional and exciting shows that I’ve worked on. We had 27 models from all over the UK living with or beyond breast cancer including two men. I started working on this project in December 2021 and the show was on April 28th 2022 at Sommet House. We planned to have about 90 looks and 6 scenes that would share the journey of the models and the event would be hosted by Anna Richardson.
Styling this show was something that was really personal to me I lost my Aunt several years ago to breast cancer. She never wanted to be called Aunt Jean and definitely not Auntie Jean she said it made it feel her old so we just called her Jean.
I always found her very fashionable. She had jet black hair that she always wore in a short bob. I remember her getting dressed one morning and she wore strappy green heels with a long green skirt and a green and white top. I must’ve been about age 10 and I thought it was the most extraordinary outfit - what a wonderful idea to have shoes that matched. It just seemed so glamorous!
All the women in my family love clothes, they knit, crocheted and made their own clothes and they all influenced my fashion journey. But it was my aunt’s zest for life she played squash & tennis, worked in advertising and always looked super fashionable that made me want to style the show for Breast Cancer Now.
The challenge with this show is that you’re styling real people and The Show is about them and their journey and ultimately that’s what we’re celebrating and doing The Show.
I wanted our models to have a great experience right from the start and I wanted the fittings to be a joyous day as it can be quite nerve-wracking being told by someone you don’t know what to wear. Previously they had fitted everybody in one day -which sounded quite hectic. I change the format of the fittings so every person had at least half an hour to 45 minutes and in advance, everyone filled out a questionnaire about their likes, dislikes and personal style. There was lots of prep involved and I worked with many brands and designers and called in all the looks and options for The Show! My team and I then selected several outfits for each person with accessories as we tailored it so that the experience would feel more like a personal shopping day!
The Show was a great success and I’m already starting to think about our 2023 catwalk show!
Images by photographer Zuzu Valla
