RI x Fashion Targets Breast Cancer: Fashion. My Story
Meet the cast of our RI x Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign – Adobea, Sukhy and Ruth. We're putting their personal stories on a pedestal. They’re not defined by their diagnoses, and decide exactly how to express their experiences through fashion and individuality with our collection. They're creating and celebrating their identities, in any way they choose.
Meet Adobea, 35 and a swimmer, fashionista and mum of one from London who loves a bold earring. She has secondary breast cancer.
How has your identity been impacted through your experience?
My identity as a woman has been impacted through my breast cancer experience. The treatment has made my body shape change, so I’ve had to adapt to my new style to suit my new body. I love to dress up and I always want to feel good, feminine and sexy, so fashion has definitely played a part in that.
What is something you would tell your pre-diagnosis self?
Go and get checked earlier! That bump that you feel, go and get it checked and ask for a second opinion.
What is a motto that you live by?
You’re beautiful no matter what size or shape and don’t let anybody tell you any different.
What is something that helped you throughout your journey?
I started my YouTube channel in early 2020 because I absolutely love fashion and love wearing clothes. I also always want to represent for the plus size beauties. So that’s what I love. I love clothes and I love to look beautiful in clothes.
Meet Sukhy, 38, a mum of two and baker extraordinaire, who loves to run. She is navigating life after breast cancer.
What piece of clothing or style makes you feel most like yourself?
I feel most myself whenever I’m wearing bright, bright colours! So rainbow colours, anything that’s quite loud and brash is what makes me feel most me.
What is a motto that you live by?
Just take everything day by day. Some days are good and some days are bad but the best thing to do is to just process things day by day.
What is something you would tell your pre-diagnosis self?
That it will get good and bad, and good and bad. It won’t just get good but hold onto the good things because you can always overcome the bad things.
Meet Ruth, 34 and an ICU nurse who is happiest outdoors with her boys and her dog. She had two major risk-reducing surgeries after being diagnosed with an altered BRCA1 gene when she was 24.
What is a motto that you live by?
This too shall pass. Moments of joy, happiness, the normal everyday mundane, they pass so embrace them fully. Moments of pain, sadness, heartache they also pass so I’ve tried to remind myself of this when I’m in that, that I won’t feel like this forever.
What is something you would tell your pre-diagnosis self?
Something I’d tell myself pre-diagnosis, You are going to do something so incredible for yourself and your boys that you will never believe how badass you are. It will be really hard, and you will fall apart but that’s ok, sit in that hardship and you will rebuild yourself bit by bit and then never stop fighting for the life you want to create.
What piece of clothing or style makes you feel most like yourself?
The perfect pair of jeans. I have genuinely found them in River Island!!! A classic pair you can always rely on to go with anything. Once found, not easily replaced.