CFDA, Barneys eye breast cancer cure through charitable collection

Department store chain Barneys New York is teaming up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s eyewear creators to take on breast cancer.

A new collection dubbed Frames For a Cause is retailing at select Barneys stores and on its ecommerce site as a benefit for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. Breast cancer affects about one in eight women in the United States, making the prevalent disease a popular cause for charitable efforts.

Lens on a cause

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer was originally launched in 1994 by designer Ralph Lauren. Since its founding, the CFDA’s charitable initiative has raised millions of dollars and has worked to heighten awareness of the disease.

The Frames For a Cause designers took inspiration from the blue and white bulls eye logo of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer for their creations, which range from classic to futuristic.

Morgenthal Frederics designed a pair of round optical framed in turquoise and navy, while Leisure Society and Barton Perreira both put their own spin on the cat-eye shape for sunglasses. Other participating designers include llesteva, Selima Optique, Blake Kuwahara, l.a. Eyeworks and Grey Ant.

We’re proud to have our @CFDA x #FTBC frames in @BarneysNY | Proceeds from this limited edition #edCFDA capsule collection will benefit #FashionTargetsBreastCancer 🕶 #FramesForACause #FTBC #CFDA @DMAunited

A post shared by Leisure Society (@leisuresociety_) on May 18, 2017 at 2:40pm PDT

Price points range from $240-1,200, with portions of each sale going towards Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. The eyewear will be available at Barneys through the month of May.

“In today’s times when charitable efforts are needed more than ever,” said Christian Roth, one of the participating designers. “I am very proud that the edCFDA committee brought together 10 CFDA eyewear designers to create a collective capsule collection to benefit Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.”

Luxury fashion labels frequently leverage their design skills and consumer following to contribute to causes.

For instance, Italian fashion house Trussardi has collected the testimonies of real women to raise awareness for domestic violence.

The #LovyFighters campaign features the stories of tastemakers and everyday women helped by Trussardi’s charity of choice, the Double Defense Onlus Foundation, to make more of an impact on the brand’s social community. Brands often align with women’s causes as the demographic makes up much of the consumer base (see story).