Stella McCartney unveils 2020 breast cancer awareness campaign

British fashion designer Stella McCartney is highlighting breast cancer survivors in a new campaign featuring portraits of 12 courageous women with the disease.

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the campaign, ‘A Letter To My Loved One’s’ was shot by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario and filmed by Alice Aedy. It features a portrait series of women who have gone through, or are going through, a breast cancer diagnosis.

The campaign shows women of diverse backgrounds and ages sharing their mastectomy stories in a bid to tackle the stigma that comes with breast cancer. The women tell their stories and read their letters whilst bravely baring their souls and scars at home during lockdown wearing Stella McCartney post-operative bras and ready-to-wear pieces.

The women in the 2020 Breast Cancer Awareness campaign include Mel Bastien, Caroline Boore, Emma Campbell, Lizzi England, Leanne Hughes, Jane Hutchison, Keely Joseph, Gemma Longland, Sharon Marshall-Green, Louisa Rasmussen, Toral Shah and Nisha Tanna. Many of whom are under the age of 35, with some also being young mothers. With safety and health in mind, they were shot at home to avoid travelling.

These incredible survivors join a celebrated global group who have previously been the face of the annual campaign including Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Chelsea Handler, Alicia Keys, Sofia Vergara and Idris Elba.

“It pains me every day to have lost one of the most precious humans, my mum Linda, to this horrendous disease,” said Stella McCartney in a statement. “I have such a deep admiration and gratitude for these women — both those who shared their moving stories and for Lynsey and Alice, who brought these powerful narratives to life.”

Stella McCartney teams up with photojournalist Lynsey Addario for new breast cancer campaign

McCartney added: Nearly 11,500 Britons die from breast cancer annually and we are advocates for early testing and detection today to prevent loss and pain for loved ones tomorrow.”

The powerful imagery and film launched alongside McCartney’s annual lingerie set in aid of breast cancer awareness the ‘Whitney Popping’, which raises money for Breast Cancer Charities supported by Stella McCartney Cares Foundation, including the Linda McCartney Centre in Liverpool and the Hello Beautiful Foundation in London.

In addition, for the second year running, Adidas by Stella McCartney has launched a sports mastectomy bra, enabling women to engage in activity post-surgery.

This year, the brand said it has given out more than 10,000 mastectomy bras through the Stella McCartney Cares Foundation, with more set to be gifted to women who have been through a mastectomy.

The campaign film also highlights the Stella McCartney Louise Listening post-operative bra, a beautiful yet highly technical garment for women who have undergone a mastectomy as part of their treatment for breast cancer. The bra is created using ultra-soft cotton and cotton lace, with a soft, flexible under-band and front and back fastenings for ease.

A modified design introduced in 2018 includes ultra-soft internal pockets for use with prostheses, wide, adjustable straps and an extended size range of XS–XXL that fits cup sizes 32A–42E. Available for free since 2018 via Stella McCartney Cares, the bra is once again available by request in limited quantities for 2020.

Images: courtesy of Stella McCartney by Lynsey Addario