Chief executive Fiona Hatton said of the unorthodox request “We are aiming to collect 570 preloved bras.”
Each bra would represent one of Sweet Louise’s 570 members, who ranged in age from mid 20s to late 80s.
The Sweet Louise team planned to create a giant chandelier using the bras to shine a light on incurable breast cancer.
The work of art would be unveiled in Auckland in the lead-up to NZ Fashion Week and those who donated their bras would go into the draw to win two front-row seats at a designer show.
Hatton hoped the expected haul of bras of all shapes, sizes, colours and styles would represent the diversity of New Zealanders affected by incurable breast cancer.
“We wanted to create a piece of art that becomes a conversation starter, something visual that would remind people that incurable breast cancer is not about statistics – it is about real people and their families and their unique hopes and dreams.”
An estimated 600 New Zealanders each year were delivered the devastating news they had incurable breast cancer.
Sweet Louise touched the lives of more than 90% of them and relied solely on donations because it received no government funding.
People could leave bras at the Sweet Louise site, which was part of the Health Hub space. Donated bras would be displayed on fence wire at the site in a nod to the popular Wanaka fence of bras.
“We don’t care what condition the bras are in as, like us, they all have an authentic story to tell,” Hatton said.
Visitors without a bra could make a donation.
Sweet Louise’s regional co-ordinators around the country worked with the charity’s members, getting to know them and their families so they could offer bespoke services based on their individual needs.
Examples of support offered to members included help with childcare, housecleaning, gardening, massages, mastectomy underwear and wigs.
For more information about Sweet Louise visit www.sweetlouise.co.nz
