DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Dana Shibuya used M&M candies and a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon to create her bra design for the "Unhooked" benefit.
Cancer busters
A show and auction of bras
and bustiers will help to raise
breast cancer awareness
Hide the husbands and children. Models in bras and bustiers will strut about at Kahala Mall next Wednesday -- all for a good cause.
The "Unhooked Hawaii" bra show is the first of its kind in Hawaii.
'Unhooked Hawaii'
A bra fashion show and silent auction:Where: Kahala Mall Center Court
When: 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 15
Admission: $35, includes pupu, champagne and a silent auction. Tickets must be purchased by 3 p.m. the day of the show. Proceeds
benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Call: 732-7736
Note: The wearable art will also be on display from Monday to Oct. 19 at Morgan Beret Fine Lingerie at Kahala Mall
"It's something we wanted to do for a long time," said Julie Hassel, owner of Morgan Beret Fine Lingerie, who participated in a similar event in Seattle with the goal of letting women with breast cancer know that they are not alone.
"We want to bring awareness to the community," said Hassel, who noticed that among her clientele who have been struck by breast cancer, the younger women are particularly devastated by the disease. "They may still be dating and are self-conscious about their bodies," she said.
The lack of self-confidence and awareness fueled Hassel's desire to educate others. Her message to survivors and breast cancer patients is to "follow your heart and your dreams. Pursue your passions and believe in yourselves."
Second-year students in the Honolulu Community College fashion technology program were called upon to create unique, wearable art pieces to contribute to the cause.
"We asked them not to make it X-rated. Otherwise, there were no restrictions," said Joy Nagaue, fashion instructor at HCC.
Feathers, lace, beads, copper, crystals, glass and even M&M's were used to embellish the bras and bustiers. Each piece has a story to tell. "We are all different and inspired in different ways," said Kaliko Fukumoto.
Fukumoto's piece, in shredded pink fabric with a black lace train, is described as representing power and strength. "It signifies a girl fighting breast cancer," she said.
Pink ribbons are the symbol of breast cancer awareness.
Dana Shibuya created a yummy-looking M&M bra, inspired by a trip to Foodland, where she spied a special pink and white version of the candies -- sales of which would benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which helps to fund cancer research. Shibuya then spray-painted the bra with clear paint and added clear straps. "It was a simple idea. Most of the others are all vamped out," she said.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Marybeth Jenkins models her bra incorporating angel wings a la Victoria's Secret. She is one of the Honolulu Community College students who created bras to raise breast-cancer awareness.
Debbie Vierra, another student, had personal reasons for participating. "My mom had breast cancer. They operated on her. We had her for another Christmas and then we lost her," she said. "She was our present that year."
Vierra's bra boasted a holiday theme in honor of her late mother. "Christmas was always big in my house. It took us a week to decorate the tree. We hung the icicles on, one strand at a time. We had the most beautiful tree," she said.
"We haven't put up a tree since ... when we think of Christmas, we think of mom."
More than 30 established and emerging artists are also donating art work for the silent auction. The works are intended to spark conversation on an otherwise serious, and often taboo topic. Many of the artists also have friends and relatives who are coping with breast cancer.
"Statistically, it will hit a good portion of women," said Kay Mura, whose sister underwent a double mastectomy. Mura thought of making pointy Madonna-style bras but instead made a functional bra out of clay. The bra can then be transformed into a cup and saucer.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Honolulu Community College fashion instructor Joy Nagaue, from left, and students Kaliko Fukumoto and Jon Chun help Shauna-Lei Luke to secure her rose bra, one of several student designs that go on display Monday at Morgan Beret in Kahala Mall.
"I like to do funny stuff. The issues are serious enough," she said. Humor is reflected in the piece's title: "A pair of B cups -- more than a mouthful."
And the show isn't limited to women.
Kazu Kauinana, another artist, lost his girlfriend Ione Haney to breast cancer in 1993, and hopes that more men can be made aware of breast cancer.
"They don't need to go through a horrible incident with their mate, sister, mother or any other woman in their life. It's a hard way to learn more about breast cancer," he said. "Finding closure is difficult. It is the 10th anniversary of her death and I still have not gone through all of her things.
"I value life more ... before I would take things for granted," he said.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Tavia Perallon adjusts the bra she designed for a Kahala Mall fashion show on Oct. 15, aimed toward raising funds to help those with breast cancer. She's dubbed her creation "Poisen Ivy."
Kauinana said Haney found humor to be a great weapon in her war on cancer, he said. "She was still telling jokes when she could barely talk anymore."
With that in mind, he created the humorous "Beetle Bra" to send the message that "bras protect against flying rocks and debris."
Alex Viarnes's wife and mother were diagnosed with the disease within the last three years, leading the photographer to donate some of his work for the auction. "They are both in remission, but you always wonder if it is going to come back," he said. "Anything that draws attention to research is good."
Hassel said 75 percent of the funds raised by "Unhooked Hawaii" will stay in the state to help local people diagnosed with breast cancer.
"The whole idea is that we need to talk about it more," said Hassel. "The only way to make a difference is to enlist support from the community and raise awareness of the importance of early detection and treatment.
"We need to get rid of the stigma," she said. "It's OK to talk about it and get help."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kaliko Fukumoto models her pink and black "Sakura," or cherry blossom bra.
BACK TO TOP |
Breast cancer
In Hawaii
>> More cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year than any other cancer.
>> Ethnic Hawaiians have the highest mortality rate from breast cancer.
>> Asian-American breast cancer rates have been steadily rising over the past few years.
Across the nation
>> In 2002, approximately 203,500 women and 1,500 men were diagnosed with breast cancer.
>> Approximately 39,600 women and 400 men died of this disease in 2002.
>> Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of women ages 40 to 59.
>> The majority of breast cancers occur in women without any family history of the disease.
>> The survival rate for breast cancer is greater than 95 percent if detected early.
>> One out of eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
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