Designer Frederick Anderson kicked off Los Angeles Fashion Week with his inaugural West Coast Blue Jacket Fashion Show at the W Hollywood on Nov. 13, showcasing both style and discussions on prostate cancer.
In 2016, Frederick Anderson and Laura Miller founded the Blue Jacket Fashion Show to facilitate open dialogue about men’s health, specifically cancer education. This event benefited ZERO Prostate Cancer, a national nonprofit advancing prostate cancer research, education and support for those impacted by the disease. Johnson & Johnson sponsored the Blue Jacket Fashion Show, and funds raised from the event will also go towards the organization’s improvements in early prostate cancer detection and accelerated treatments.
Considering that prostate cancer impacts 1 in 8 men, Blue Jacket Fashion Show also emphasizes how the disease affects underserved communities. The show has specifically focused on the reality that African American men are more likely to get prostate cancer, and are twice as likely to die from it than other men.
With the Los Angeles community in mind, the show also highlighted the impact of prostate cancer on Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander men, and the reality that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in these communities.
To raise prostate cancer awareness, the event invites people from interdisciplinary fields — including entertainment, sports, fashion, healthcare and media — to talk about men’s health and learn about how they can help reduce the mortality rate from prostate cancer.
Celebrities and prostate cancer awareness advocates graced the runway, with actor Carl Clemons-Hopkins and “Love Is Blind” contestant Marshall Glaze among the stars. Dentist Randy Kam was invited to walk on the runway, who recovered from Stage IV prostate cancer after multiple rounds of chemotherapy — and ran six marathons during the process. Honoring the show’s name, the models represented a collection of iconic blue jackets during the show, emulating the light blue ribbons that represent prostate cancer awareness in the process.
Blue Jacket Fashion Show will return on Feb. 4 2025 in New York City, marking its ninth year of commitment to advocating for men’s health and testing for prostate cancer.
(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Blue Jacket)
