Alicia Keys Stars in Stella McCartney’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) month, meaning we can expect to see several campaigns to raise awareness and raise funds for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of the disease. First up? Stella McCartney’s annual BCA campaign which stars Grammy-Award winning songstress, Alicia Keys.

According to WWD, the British designer chose the “Girl on Fire” singer for her 2017 campaign not only because they are friends, but also because she wanted to target African-American women, who are the fastest-growing group being diagnosed with breast cancer. Statistics say African-American women diagnosed with breast cancer have a 42 per cent higher mortality rate than Caucasian women.

"[The higher mortality rate] is mainly because they don’t get an opportunity to get an early diagnosis or the right kind of treatment,” McCartney, whose mother passed away from breast cancer in 1998, told WWD. “This really compelled me to reach out to Alicia. I asked her if she would like to reach out and speak to this community and be the face of the campaign.”

In the campaign image, Keys wears a Stella McCartney “Ophelia Whistling” bra and underwear set in “Poppy Pink,” a pair of high-rise jeans and a multi-textured cardigan. The bralette features Japanese Leavers Lace, silk-covered buttons and silk tie shoulder straps, while the briefs (not pictured) have a sheer lace front panel and a mesh back. Proceeds from the Ophelia Whistling set will support the Memorial Sloan Kettering Breast Examination center of Harlem (BECH) and The Linda McCartney Centre in Liverpool.

For Alicia, the campaign is near to her heart not only because she hails from Harlem, but also because her own mother had breast cancer.

“I was raised in Harlem, so this really resonates with me,” she says in the campaign video, alongside McCartney. “And also, my mother is a breast cancer survivor, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to share that story; so this is important to me.”

The limited-edition Ophelia Whistling set will be available starting Oct. 1 at Stella McCartney stores and online, as well as at Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, Selfridges, Net-a-porter, Harvey Nichols and Le Bon Marche. The soft cup bra will retail for $160 and the briefs $90.