Two fashion shows highlight health issues affecting the Black community

New York Fashion Week may not officially start until Friday, February 9, but Black celebrities have already kicked off Fashion Month. Two fashion shows specifically kicked off with a little bit of health promotion, raising awareness about heart disease and prostate cancer.

Celebrating the incontrovertible fact that February can also be American Heart Month, on January 31, Black celebrities including Star Jones, Yvonne Orji and Samira Wiley donned their best red for the American Heart Association’s Red Dress Collection Concert at Lincoln Center in New York City. This yr, Sherri Shepherd’s annual Red Dress event advantages the AHA while raising awareness of heart disease. The following evening, February 1, featured Billy Porter, chef Marcus Samuelsson, Don Lemon and an experienced stylist Ty Hunter were amongst male celebrities wearing blue on the runway of the eighth annual Blue Jacket fashion show, which supports and advocates for prostate cancer research.

Both events aimed to spread awareness about pressing health issues that disproportionately impact Black communities. According to I SEEheart disease kills greater than 50,000 black women yearly and affects roughly 59% of black women aged 20 and older. According to a study Zero prostate cancer, roughly one in six black men will develop prostate cancer of their lifetime.

“It’s always an honor to walk around @BlueJacketFashionShow in support @zeroprostatecancer” wrote Samuelsson w Instagram post after this yr’s event. He admitted that he “felt like a high flyer” in his team Privélege black label, Samuelsson said: “A big thank you to everyone who supports the fight to end prostate cancer.”

For the Red Dress Collection, Shepherd, who wore a red sequined gown by Ganni on the red carpet, not only hosted the event but in addition walked the runway wearing black Harbison.

Shepherd talked about his involvement People Magazine“Cardiovascular health is very important to me because I am a type 2 diabetic and they are in the same family.”

She added: “It changes your world when your health comes together.”

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Orji, who celebrated her involvement in the event with a series of social media posts, emphasized the urgent need to lift awareness about heart health.

“As Black women, it’s imperative that we talk about our health and I’m glad I was able to attend the (American Heart Association) and @goredforwomen #RedDressCollection concert this year to do just that and help raise awareness for heart health,” she wrote in the signature of the post on the website Instagram.

She added: “Heart disease (like preeclampsia, high blood pressure) and stroke are (one) killer of women, and like MOST diseases, Black women are disproportionately affected by them. We care about so many other people and things, let’s remember us and make ourselves a priority! (Our hearts) literally depend on it!”