Last night in New York City, fashion designer Frederick Anderson held a fashion event in support of his fight against prostate cancer. Over the last 7 years, Anderson and his business partner Laura Miller have held the Blue Jacket Fashion Show, where men’s health is the topic of discussion. The purpose is to open up the conversation on cancer education, early detection, prevention and treatment options.
Designer Frederick Anderson, a co-founder of the Blue Jacket fashion show. Image: courtesy of Getty Images.
The Blue Jacket fashion show unites the worlds of fashion, entertainment, sports, healthcare and media to drive open dialogue about the impact of prostate cancer, with an important emphasis on racial disparities and marginalized communities.
Thom Browne, Michael Kors, Ben Sherman, Levi’s, Men’s Wearhouse, Stephen F, Bruno Magli, Arjona Collection Tommy Hilfiger, Carlos Campos, Epperson, Peyman Umay, Don Morphy, Niyi Okuboyejo, Loris Diran and Terry Singh designed special blue jackets for the event.
Don Lemon walked the runway. Image: courtesy of Getty Images.
In an effort to get men tested, this year community members, event participants and guests were able to be screened for prostate cancer with a quick and easy prostate-specific antigen test provided by Mount Sinai Hospital.
ZERO Cancer, a nonprofit that is committed to ending racial and health disparities, was a sponsor of the show. The organization’s priority is to educate Black men and get them tested early on to detect and combat signs of cancer. Prostrate cancer is one of the most common cancers amongst American men and the second-leading cause of cancer death, with Black men consisting of 37% of the new cases.
“Black men are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with and more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men,” said Dr. Reggie Tucker-Seeley, ZERO’s Vice President of Health Equity. “The sorting of money, knowledge, power, and beneficial social connections by race contributes to sustaining these differences over time. We cannot end prostate cancer without addressing the root causes to race and place-based disparities in prostate cancer.”
Image: courtesy of Getty Images.
The show was also sponsored by Janssen Oncology, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
“Janssen Oncology is proud to participate in the Blue Jacket Fashion show, supporting ZERO, and amplifying efforts to raise awareness and normalize conversations about prostate cancer among families and broader communities,” said Tyrone Brewer, president of Janssen Oncology, a pharmaceutical company of Johnson and Johnson. “This is a cornerstone initiative for Janssen Oncology that advances our shared goal of reducing health disparities as part of our larger Johnson & Johnson commitment to health equity.”
