Pink October 2015

Its that time of year again, when suddendly Friday's turn pink, breast cancer pink ribbons appear and London's monuments get a pink makeover..

Photo: Telegraph, Pink October 2014

There is one goal behind it: raise awareness, raise funds and end breast cancer deaths by 2050.

This is a big goal, but one that is achievable if we all work together!

According to Breast Cancer Now:

1. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK.

2. Breast cancer is the name given to cancers that have first developed in breast tissue. There are many different types.

3. Thanks to research, more people are surviving breast cancer than ever before.

4. More than 80% of women with breast cancer are still alive five years after diagnosis but around 50,000 women are still diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

5. Around 12,000 women die of the disease each year.

1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime- that's 50,000 women per year in the UK! The likelihood is, if you haven't already been exposed to it, at some point it will touch your life. That's why raising awareness and doing your bit to help is so important.

You can help by:

1. Donating to Cancer research UK or Breast Cancer Now- this can be as simple as giving what you can or as fun as a Race or cake sale- because everyone loves cake!

2. Encouraging friends and family to Coppafeel! One of the best ways to fight breast cancer is to nip it in the bud and catch it early- so don't be shy ladies!



Breast cancer in men, although rare, still occurs and breast cancer awareness month is a great way to raise awareness about this disease.



Emma Watson's inspirational United Nations speech drew attention to gender equality meaning that people should feel free and comfortable with who they are. So men, don't be afraid to Coppafeel! too! This is key, as being familiar with what's normal for your body is so important for all genders and crucial in stopping cancer in its tracks.

Here's a little flashback to us during last year's Pink October...

Every 10 minutes someone is diagnosed with breast cancer....! In the time it took to write this blog post, 12 people were diagnosed. In the time that it took for you to read this, another person was diagnosed. Let's do what we can to make the recovery of those people speedier, quicker and less painful. We can't wait for the difference that this Pink October will make for breast cancer patients and hopefully, survivors! Bring onthe next 30 days, let's have a boob of a time!

Brand Spotlight: Bottletop

We had the incredible pleasure of listening to and meeting the founders of Bottletop this week. We attended an event at the London Business School where the sustainability of the luxury goods market was discussed.  We had the amazing opportunity to hear a unique insight into the luxury goods industry. 

Photo: Bottletop

Bottletops isn’t just a luxury brand. It was founded as a charity that expanded from the grassroots up into a fashion and retail luxury brand. 

Photo: EU. EIS 

They describe themselves on twitter as: “@Bottletoppers: Sustainable luxury. Empowering women and young people through design. Join the family” 

It wasn’t their stunning and beautiful designs that captivated us but it was their story. Cameron Saul, co-founder drew attention to this saying:

“Only is your story going to give you a competitive edge....your story comes into its own. You can talk about your product for days and days - you know every aspect of your narrative. Your competitors can't."

Photo: Bottletop

"We all have the best jobs in the world" because we do what we love. 

Their History & Story

The Bottletop Fashion Company was founded by Oliver Wayman and Cameron Saul in 2012. They set up their company through the charity first, Bottletop Foundation, introducing the retail element later.

Photo: Bottletop

It all came from an idea Cameron had on his gap year.

Cameron and Roger (Mulberry founder) set up the Bottletop Foundation in 2002 through a collaboration with Mulberry. It started with a handbag made using recycled African bottle tops, and lined with Mulberry leather. Feeding from the enormous success of the bag, it fueled grassroots education projects in Africa.

Photo: Bottletop

The fashion company provides funds to support the Foundation which uses contemporary art and music to raise awareness for education projects, tackling teenage health issues in Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Brazil and the UK.

Photo: Bottletop

Their Products

Bottletop produces bags, belts, purses; any leather good that can be covered in bottletops!

Photo: Bottletop

Their latest collaboration is with Narciso Rodriguez...take a look at how beautiful these designs are!

Photo: Bottletop

Bottletop have promised to bring in some more entry point priced bags so hopefully we can afford to be the owners of such wonderful handbags and be a part of this wonderful, sustainable and ethical story. 

Photo: Bottletop

What a wonderful brand that is helping to inspire the foundation we hope to set up through Attollo. 

Three Little Piggies Playing in the Mud

Last week we posted about Cancer Research's, Race for Life and why we felt inspired to run it. Now we can say we did it!!! We actually did it! Last saturday, in 45 minutes we ran, jumped, crawled, climbed and wriggled around the 5 KM obstacle course at Finsbury Park with our University friend Grace.

The day however started a little less muddy than the picture above. 

We were very lucky to have our little support cheerleaders for the day, on hand to scribble on our backs and hold all our clobber.

We saw hundreds of touching messages over the course of the day, which was heartbreaking but also incredibly encouraging. 

Although Race for Life fundraises for all cancer reaserch, we dedicated our run for all those women and men that have been affected by Breast Cancer. 

Military-fitness guys were on hand to warm up the runners, asking us to do some very strange things...

Finally the gun went off and the muddy run began...

They weren't lying when they said it was 'pretty muddy'; we finished the race considerably less pink and much much more brown than we started!

It was such an inspirational day, watching groups of colleagues, friends and family, teaming together to support research into a disease that has taken or affected so many loved ones from us all.

A big, humongous thank you to our cheer squad for cheering, shouting, supporting, filming and photographing us from start to finish, papping us in many unladylike positions; we had many memories to take away front the day.

P.s. Our JustGiving page is still open and we'd love to smash our target even more than we have done so, so we can say goodbye to cancer quicker and sooner.