Witchery has launched their White Shirt Campaign for 2012 to raise funds for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF).
By Julia Frank
Every year, Witchery designs a range of white shirts for women and men with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Foundation. The OCRF is dedicated to finding an early detection test for this silent killer, which claims the life of one Australian woman every 10 hours.
In association with Witchery, madison magazine and the Whitehouse Institute of Design, the OCRF is working to change this horrifying statistic. So far, the initiative has raised over $3 million. Witchery CEO Iain Nairn hopes to raise $1 million this year alone.
The breakfast launch was held at the Whitehouse Institute in Sydney, where a retrospective of all the previous campaigns was on exhibit, as well as a viewing of the 2012 White Shirt Collection.
The women’s collection comprises eight designs, including a tailored tuxedo shirt, a boyfriend shirt and a bow-fronted blouse.
Rescu. also spotted a black sequinned detachable collar and an embellished bow tie, the perfect fashion accent to transport a classic white shirt from day to night.
Men can support the cause too with a smart white shirt and an everyday tee in the WitcheryMan range.
Erika Heynatz, one of the campaign’s high-profile spokespersons, was on hand to moderate a panel discussion at the launch. The panel included Nairn, Liz Heliotis, CEO/Co-founder of OCRF, Lizzie Renkert, editor of madison and Leanne Whitehouse, founder of the Whitehouse Institute of Design.
Each panel member stressed the importance of a commercially viable campaign to raise funds and in particular, the need to educate women about the lack of an early detection test for the disease. Renkert said it was crucial to debunk the widespread myth that a pap smear can detect the cancer.
Also on the panel was a man named Gary, whose wife, Tanya, had passed away from ovarian cancer. As a madison reader and Witchery customer, Tanya was passionate about the campaign and became involved when she was in remission. Unfortunately, her cancer returned and she succumbed to the disease last year. There was hardly a dry eye in the house after Gary shared his story.
Armed with the facts and touched by a personal story, Rescu. was ready with an open wallet to purchase a shirt for this worthwhile cause. However, we will have to wait, as the shirts will only be available online from April 18th at witchery.com.au and in Witchery stores from 1st May.
Guests were also invited to preview the Witchery High Winter 2012 collection, which comprised woolly jumpers, wet weather parkas and wintry coats in autumnal shades of burnt orange, mustard, grey, khaki and black.
We spied a picnic blanket coat that would look ever-so chic over one of the white shirts from the campaign. Fashion changing lives? Absolutely!
