Gladys Perint Palmer, Lulu DK, More Join With Talbots’ Effort Against Breast Cancer
TALBOTS’ HIGH FIVE: Having raised $500,000 over the last five years to help fight breast cancer, Talbots is ramping up its efforts this fall with the help of five female artists.
In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Talbots will present “The Art of the Scarf Collection” on Sept. 24. The collection features designs by Lulu DK, Annie Davidson, Caroline So, Gladys Perint Palmer and Hannah Davies. Each of the $80 colorful silk scarves have prints and emblems that are meant as symbols of hope, resilience, strength and courage. Twenty percent of the net proceeds will benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Talbots is one of the many companies trying to offset the impact of the disease. One in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, according to the nonprofit Breastcancer.org. Given how widespread the disease is, it is an issue that resonates with many consumers.
Lulu DK, who lost her mother to cancer, said, “My mother and mother nature have always been my two biggest sources of inspiration — both humble and selfless, both unapologetically electric with color. This scarf is a tribute to my mother, and to the power of the natural world surrounding all of us.”
A few of the artists have and/or continue to work in different mediums. Palmer, for example, learned to draw from my mother and later at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London and Parsons School of Design in New York. She worked for a time as a fashion editor at The San Francisco Examiner. The West Coast artist’s mentors were Italian Vogue’s Anna Piaggi and The New York Times’ Carrie Donovan.
Palmer’s illustrations can be found in Assouline’s “The Missoni Family Cookbook,” and one was featured in “Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier” at the London Design Museum this spring. In relation to Talbots, she said, “I have always been inspired by the beautiful, diverse, ever-changing faces of women — their profiles, their expressions, their softness and their strength. Beauty comes in so many forms, and this scarf is about all of them.” Online, Palmer explained, “When asked how long it takes to do a drawing, the answer is, a lifetime. Sometimes seven minutes.”
After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, So worked as a fashion designer for 10 years. As an illustrator, she has worked with such fashion and beauty companies as Marc Jacobs Beauty, Kate Spade New York and Ines di Santo, among others. For Talbots, she said she was inspired by “a certain female sensibility — lighthearted and playful, yet courageous, strong and confident.”
Other Talbots collaborators tried to evoke the challenges that patients face. Davies said she was inspired “by the strength of women who struggle with breast cancer, and the constant show of support from friends and family near and far. The lioness is a symbol of courage, reminding us that together we can beat this disease.”
And Davidson, a Melbourne-based designer, said, “In designing this scarf, I was inspired by the map, as it connects women. I wanted to represent women from all walks of life, as breast cancer can affect anyone.”
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