Bra made of teabags to be auctioned in aid of breast cancer awareness
A
bra made almost entirely of used Rooibos tea bags, has been created to shine
the spotlight on breast cancer. It was revealed on Tuesday, which marked the
start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October.
The bra will be auctioned in a few weeks at a high-profile fundraising dinner in aid of CANSA’s women’s education programmes.
The idea, which was the brainchild of the SA Rooibos Council (SARC), Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and lingerie retailer, Storm in A-G Cup, has been months in the making.
READ: Mags goes pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council says they have been overwhelmed by the support from the public as thousands of “used and dried” Rooibos tea bags poured in from around the country.
“While only 450 Rooibos tea bags were used in the final design, the bulk of the donated tea bags were used to trial various styles. Rooibos tea was specifically chosen as it contains powerful antioxidants that help fight inflammation - a leading cause of cancer,” says Du Toit.
After countless hours spent behind the sewing machine, experimenting with Rooibos in all sorts of ways, the dedicated focus of Storm in A-G Cup’s design team finally brought the unique concept to life.
Isla Lovell, owner of Storm in A-G Cup says they’ve never shied away from a challenge and creatively it was a very rewarding project to work on.
“Our primary challenge came with using Rooibos tea bags for a garment that inherently relies on stretch to fit, so we had to adapt the material to the final product. We were surprised at how versatile a product Rooibos is – we experimented with the leaves, tea bags and even made beads from the packaging. Pretty much all the detail, including the delicate rose, have been fashioned from Rooibos tea bags.
“The colouring process was the trickiest part as the final look was very much reliant on how the tea bags took to the dye. We used both Rooibos tea leaves and natural pigment powders to dye the tea bags. It took us several months and four prototypes later until we settled on a design,” says Lovell.
The Rooibos bra forms part of several other CANSA initiatives this spring to create widespread awareness of breast cancer and other cancers affecting women.
Lucy Balona, spokesperson for CANSA says she hopes as interest continues to build around the Rooibos bra, that women – young and old – heed the call for regular breast screenings and examinations.
“Detecting breast cancer early means a much higher survival rate. Regular screenings and mammograms are critical – we need to have less women affected by cancer and having to face that journey,” says Balona.
