Breast dressed // Retail therapy: Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2012

We at Le Blow never need an excuse to get our shop on, particularly when it’s for a good cause. It’s the best form of retail therapy, no?

So we couldn’t wait to see what lovely product is in store for Fashion targets Breast Cancer 2012. We nearly wet ourselves when we heard this year’s theme is a celebration of all things British for this special Jubilee and Olympics year, as we LOVE supporting British brands here at LB.

For those of you not in the know – like, DUH! Where have you been? – FTBC was created by Ralph Lauren in 1994, who united the fashion industry to raise awareness and funds for the cause after losing a close friend to the disease.

The serious stuff: one in eight women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime and Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s work in finding the causes, improving health services and finding new and better treatments through research, is still mega important.

Loads of major fashion names have fronted the campaign – Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Jerry Hall, Kate Moss, Elle Macpherson ,Twiggy amd Kylie Minogue – and the annual posters, shot by hot shot photographers and featuring the iconic FTBC target logo (iiittt’s a bulls eye!), have become a regular fixture in the fashwan calendar.

Every year top British high street retailers sell bespoke FTBC garms, with a minimum 30% of the sale price being donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. And every year those must-have FTBC items sell shit loads, raising more than £12 million to date. Bravo!

WE WANT YOUR JOB // FTBC AMBASSADOR ANTONIA O’BRIEN

This year brands like M&S, River Island, Warehouse, Topshop, Coast, Laura Ashley, my-wardrobe.com and Debenhams have created terribly British, Jubilee inspired collections with a portion of all sales going to the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity. Prices range from £2 to £150 and all pieces carry a minimum 30% donation.

Our top picks from the epic FTBC range this year all seem to be from the nautical and ve-ry nice Seaside Promenade collection – Laura Ashley’s seaside themed summer frock, specially designed swimwear for women who have had breast cancer surgery from M&S and My-wardrobe’s Daisy bracelets in silver, rose and yellow gold.