Lily Donaldson’s aunt struggled for years with it, as did Lily Cole’s grandmother. “Breast cancer can affect anyone,” said Cole, who is featured, along with Donaldson, in the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) polo shirt campaign with luxury fashion retailer Net-a-Porter. Gisele Bündchen, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Shalom Harlow, and Eva Herzigova have all been wearing FTBC shirts to support the fight against breast cancer since the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) launched the FTBC initiative in 1994. And you can, too. 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.”
Since then, FTBC has raised $40 million for breast cancer charities worldwide through various exclusive partnerships with designers, and has expanded globally to include eight more countries. The polo shirt initiative relaunches on July 3 and will continue through September 25 with Fashion Targets Summer Fridays in an effort to inspire the working masses to wear Ralph Lauren’s limited-edition shirt on “Summer Fridays.”
“It’s an overwhelming problem, and it’s really hard to see how you can help,” said Cole. “By going on Net-a-Porter.com and supporting Fashion Targets Breast Cancer worldwide, it’s a simple way to make a big difference.”
