‘Rooibos Bra’ catches the eye in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness month
JOBURG – To mark the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the rooibos bra is an effort to draw more attention to breast cancer.
A beautiful and eye-catching bra made of rooibos tea bags was created by a leading lingerie retailer to shine a light on breast cancer this October, which affects one in 27 women in South Africa.
The bra will be auctioned off in a couple of weeks at a fundraising dinner in aid of Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) women’s education programmes. The idea started with SA Rooibos Council (SARC) and with the help of Cansa and lingerie retailer Storm A-G Cup a few months ago.
Spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council, Adele du Toit said they use dried and used rooibos tea bags from the public, “While only 450 Rooibos tea bags were used in the final design, the bulk of the donated tea bags were used to trial various styles. Rooibos tea was specifically chosen as it contains powerful antioxidants that help fight inflammation – a leading cause of cancer. ”
Rooibos tea naturally stains the tea bags red, it created the depth in the colour they were aiming for Du Toit said, “While creating awareness of Rooibos’ cancer-fighting properties.”
Isla Lovell, owner of Storm in A-G Cup said they have never shied away from a challenge and the project was rewarding. “We were immediately drawn to the idea as we often use rooibos tea to dye our undergarments and have always flown the flag high for breast cancer survivors – our extensive mastectomy bra range is a testament to this.”
CANSA spokesperson Lucy Balona hopes the interest in the rooibos bra will heed the call for regular breast screenings and examinations, “Detecting breast cancer early means a much higher survival rate. Regular screenings and mammograms are critical – we need to have fewer women affected by cancer and having to face that journey.”
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