Bras for a Cause Middle East campaign begins tomorrow!



Calling all creative talent out there in the Middle East! Tomorrow (Thursday May 19, 2011) begins one of the first fashion-meets-a-cause campaigns of its kind in the Middle East - Bras for a cause.

Everybody's favorite Middle East based trendsetting website Fustany and One Wig Stand have joined forces to create a fashionable campaign running between May 19, 2011 and June 26, 2011 that will support women who have or have had breast cancer across the region...and they want you to be a part of it.

Whether you're a fashion designer, illustrator, graphics designer, artist, student, or just creative and talented in the design stakes, you can enter the Bras for a Cause design contest by designing a bra or a tshirt and the best designs will win some very exciting prizes. Not only that, but if your design wins, it will be catwalked at one of two upcoming fashion shows in Dubai and Beirut and later in the year it will be manufactured and sold on the market!

Why you should participate

In this day and age, almost every one of us has at least one relative or friend who has been affected by breast cancer. My paternal grandmother died of beast cancer when I was eight years old. The good news is that today, with early detection methods like mammograms and MRIs, or by simply feeling your own breasts regularly to look out for any changes, many of us women have a good chance of surviving it.

However, breast cancer survivors in the Middle East who have had a single or double mastectomy (i.e. a breast or both breasts removed) face slightly more challenges when it comes to readapting to life than survivors in the West. For one thing, there are almost no specialized lingerie shops in the entire region, and custom made bras and prostheses made to order online are often very expensive, so finding a good-fitting bra and prostheses which makes them feel womanly and good about themselves again is virtually impossible. Plus, for some Arab women in certain countries in the Middle East, losing a breast or both breasts presents them with the fear that their husbands will reject them and maybe even marry a second wife.

By participating in Bras for a Cause, believe it or not, you could be giving breast cancer survivors a new lease of life through a proper fitting bra. You will be giving her back her confidence and that feeling of femininity.

The categories

Here on UNDER YOUR ABAYA I will be keeping you up-to-date with the campaign and the contest, with all the info on how to enter and submit your entry.

For now, check out the Bras for a Cause website and Facebook page for more information, and most importantly, spread the word!