On Saturday, February 4th, the World Cancer Day was held, conducted by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) since 2000. This day aims at bringing people together to face this disease. In 2020, nearly 10 million people died of cancer and experts predict that this figure will increase by 3 million by 2030. The fight against cancer is essential and thanks to research, thousands of people are saved every year.
IFA Paris student Mohamad Fawad’s collection
As part of this day, IFA Paris wanted to raise awareness among its Bachelor of Fashion Design & Technology students by offering them a creative workshop to customize coloured ribbons. A colour for each different cancer personalized by our students according to their vision of it.
We also met Mohamad Fawaz, a student in his 3rd year of the Bachelor Fashion Design & Technology, who is creating his end of year collection on the theme “Adaptive Resilience” and who was inspired by his mother’s cancer to design it.
Creative workshop at the IFA Paris fashion school
“After a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering and a Master’s degree in Underwater Engineering, I joined IFA Paris in the Bachelor of Fashion Design & Technology program. This year, we have to realize a collection under the theme of “Adaptive Resilience”. This theme is so relevant to me because how can I not relate to my late mother. She battled cancer 3 times over 10 years until her last breath, fighting this battle silently, she was the exact depiction of resilience. That is where my concept begins, “to fight silently”. She chose to go through this battle gracefully, alone, and quietly. When someone takes that decision, it means that they are so resilient to the point where their heart is full of hope and faith, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That is what I wanted to show through my collection, choosing my mother as a muse and Jeanne d’Arc as an inspiration, I decided to do a collection that has the silhouette of an armoured soldier. On another hand, I used the fencing sport as an inspiration too. It is characterized by calm, an elite perspective with neat uniforms, and it represents precisely a silent fight.”
IFA Paris student Mohamad Fawad’s collection
“The designs have this strong robust look but also a very feminine side in terms of silhouettes, colour selections, and fabric choices. They all give this armoured soldier impression, a woman who is ready for a fight and not afraid to lose. The collection represents what the mindset of a cancer fighter should be. They should be confident, organised, strong-willed, hopeful, bright, ready, pulled-together, adaptive, enduring. I added some details of lace, which represents that sometimes we might feel tied, suffocating, or weak, but a silent fighter can overcome this feeling with a strong will. Also, I chose bright and calm colours to represent positivity and hope”.
Creative workshop at the IFA Paris fashion school
“My personal opinion on cancer is that it doesn’t only affect the one who has it. What’s ironic about cancer is that it’s selfish and greedy, it loves power to the point that it wants to take over the surrounding loved ones too. When someone falls ill physically, sickness takes over the loved ones emotionally. The suffering is collateral and contagious. And now everybody is fighting a form of suffering, aggravating day by day. Now they are all fighters. And how do they get through it. Funny enough, Silently too. We look at them everyday and it is weird because the eye contact is so void that it’s filled with fear and smiles. We hold their hands to hold onto that hope. Day by day, they learn also how to be stronger next to them, and it’s such a struggle because while suffering, one must learn how to project hope. And hope is everything. It’s what makes everything possible and achievable. We can’t get through anything in life without hope and a strong will. That’s why a cancer fighter is so resilient because they must be adaptive to any circumstance or obstacle that might come their way. Finally, when someone is fighting cancer, they’re so selfless.
They’re not just doing it for themselves. They’re doing it for their loved ones and once they’ve done it, and no matter the result, they should be celebrated every single day. Supported, loved, and sometimes remembered.”
Cancer is a struggle that can be expressed in different ways, IFA Paris has chosen to celebrate these “fighters”, as Mohamad calls them, in an artistic way. A tribute, a representation in the beauty of creation.