Seventh Annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show & New Fashion Partner Fashion Group International - Unites the Worlds of Fashion, Sport, and Entertainment

Seventh Annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show & New Fashion Partner Fashion Group International - Unites the Worlds of Fashion, Sport, and Entertainment For National Conversation About Prostate Cancer, Focussing on Racial Disparities & Underserved Communities

FGI Atlanta, Dallas, and St. Louis Chapters co-hosted regional watch parties on February 1 with Fashion Group International.

New York, New York (2 February 2023)

The seventh annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show in favour of prostate cancer awareness took held live at Moonlight Studios in New York City on February 1st, with fashion partner Fashion Group International, Inc. The performance, sponsored by Janssen Oncology, a division of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, benefitted ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer and its efforts to raise awareness and funds to help prostate cancer patients, increase early diagnosis, and decrease death.

The programme was also live-streamed from ZeroCancer.org and fgi.org.

The Blue Jacket Fashion Show, developed by fashion designer Frederick Anderson and marketer Laura Miller, brings together the fashion, entertainment, sports, healthcare, and media industries to address prostate cancer openly, with a focus on racial inequities and marginalised areas.

Actor Mario Cantone, CNN's Don Lemon, chef Marcus Samuelsson, author and scientist Bill Nye, actor Dominic Fumusa, actor London Brown, actor Eric West, NY1's Frank DiLella, model Alex Lundqvist, and others participated in the main New York event. A number of stylists and designers, including Arjona Collection, Thom Browne, Michael Kors, Ben Sherman, Levi's, Men's Wearhouse, Stephen F, Bruno Magali, Carlos Campos, and Tommy Hilfiger, reinterpreted the classic "blue jacket" worn by models on the catwalk.

Before the New York fashion show, the Mt. Sinai/Montefiore Hospital mobile medical van was stationed outside the venue to serve participants, visitors, and passersby with simple prostate-specific antigen tests.

In New York, emerging designers showcased one-of-a-kind blue jackets with the assistance of fashion partner Fashion Group International. Carlos Campos, Epperson, Peyman Umay, Don Morphy, Niyi Okuboyejo, Loris Diran, and Terry Singh, all past FGI Rising Star Award winners and finalists, were among the featured designers. Now in its twenty-seventh year, Fashion Group's Rising Star Awards ceremony is a crucial and highly visible venue for recognising young talent in fashion, beauty, business, retail, and allied fields.

In addition to live broadcasting the New York City event on FGI.org, FGI held regional "watching parties" in Dallas, St. Louis, and Atlanta, hosted by local FGI chapters. FGI Rising Star Don Morphy hosted the Dallas event, Daphne Benzaquen hosted the St. Louis event, and Jerry Buckner hosted the Atlanta watching party. Additionally, Atlanta's Dillard's department store has donated 10% of fashion sales from the evening of February 1, 2023, to support ZERO's programmes. In a show of unity, attendees of the New York event and FGI regional chapter watching parties donned blue coats.

Fashion Group International will continue its association with Blue Jacket with an exciting new event. not conclude with the live runway show FGI has also formed a partnership with Jack Menashe, CEO, Creative Director, and Founder of the new men's haberdashery in Soho, Sartoria Studio. Menashe has vowed to give 10 percent of February sales to the FGI Foundation's Blue Jacket Fashion Show Support Zero Cancer Fund, and he also provided event co-Founder and fashion designer Frederick Anderson with a custom-made blue jacket from Sartoria Studio for the evening.

After lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second largest cause of cancer-related mortality among American males. According to the newly published American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2022, an estimated 268,490 new instances of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. year 2022, and 34,500 men will die from the illness. Moreover, Black men in the United States have the highest reported prostate cancer incidence rates and are 2.2 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men. iii

The mission of ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer is to eliminate racial and health inequalities in prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Racial Disparities Task Force promotes improve awareness of prostate cancer among men at high risk by emphasising education and early diagnosis, lobbying for therapeutic trials, and financial aid and patient support.

The Fashion Group Foundation has established a safe contribution account for the FGI Rising Stars and Blue Jacket Fashion Show Support Zero Cancer.

Maryanne Grisz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fashion Group International, stated,

"Fashion Group International is proud to partner with The Blue Jacket Show, showcasing the talent of our FGI RISING STARS while raising awareness and funds for prostate cancer prevention with ZERO and Janssen Oncology with our international network of FGI chapters."

The most recent recommendations from the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2022 indicate that Black men and those with a close relative diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 65 should discuss specific prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening with a healthcare provider beginning at age 45, and men at an even higher risk (those with multiple close relatives diagnosed at an early age and BRCA mutation carriers) should have this discussion beginning at age 40. 

Visit ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer to learn about and donate to the Black Men's Prostate Cancer Initiative, which provides direct assistance to Black and brown communities that are at the highest risk of prostate cancer and are experiencing additional financial and mental distress due to COVID-19.

About FASHION GROUP INTERNATIONAL

Fashion Group International (FGI) was founded in 1928 by a group of seventeen women leaders, including Helena Rubenstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Edith Head, and other prominent fashion icons, as an industry platform for professional progression. Today, the non-profit continues committed to connecting and assisting fashion professionals at all stages of their careers, from startups to seasoned veterans. By offering access, education, and connections, FGI aims to stimulate creativity, promote innovation, and develop the fashion industry.

FGI maintains a headquarters in New York City, chapters in several countries across the globe, and a membership list of over 5,000 active members in fashion and allied design industries, including clothing, accessories, cosmetics, retail, and lifestyle. FGI members receive essential member benefits such as opportunities for ongoing professional development, forums for discussion and networking, market insights, mentorship opportunities with industry leaders, business directories and resources, and platforms for professional recognition at high-profile events.

The Fashion Group Foundation is the charitable arm of Fashion Group International and is committed to fostering tomorrow's fashion talent via education, scholarships, internships, and career counselling services. Additionally, the FGI Foundation fosters charity collaborations and effective public service activities.

About The Blue jacket initiative

Frederick Anderson and Laura Miller developed the Blue Jacket Fashion Show to provide a forum for the open discussion of men's health concerns, with a focus on cancer education, early identification, and treatment.About Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceutical CompaniesAt Janssen, we are constructing a world in which sickness no longer exists. We are the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and we strive hard to make this vision a reality for people worldwide by combating disease with science, enhancing access with inventiveness, and curing despair with compassion. Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension are the areas of medicine in which we are able to have the most impact.

More information is available at www.janssen.com. 

More about Zero Cancer

ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer is the preeminent national organisation whose purpose is to eradicate prostate cancer. ZERO promotes research that enhances the lives of men and their families and motivates action. Through our nationwide run/walk series, education and patient support programmes, and grassroots activism, we're establishing Generation ZERO, the first generation of men free of prostate cancer. ZERO is a 501(c)(3) charitable organisation certified by Charity Navigator with four out of four stars, accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and having regional chapters around the nation.

We allocate 85 cents of every dollar to research and programme development.For further details, please visit www.zerocancer.org.