Fashion Puts the Spotlight on Female Veterans with Fatigues to Fabulous™ Campaign Kick-Off
Fashion Puts the Spotlight on Female Veterans with Fatigues to Fabulous™ Campaign Kick-Off
- Grace After Fire and the Society For Women’s Health Research unite to support the 1.8 million women who have served in the armed forces
- Commemorative watch unveiled as DKNYC and HSN join forces to design a stylish symbol of appreciation
NEW YORK, February 15, 2011 – Fatigues to Fabulous™ (F2F), a new ongoing national program established to honor and support female veterans, launched during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week today. Uniting in their missions to work with the fashion industry in creating F2F, Grace After Fire and the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) welcomed DKNYC and multichannel retailer HSN to their effort to raise awareness of the contributions of women soldiers and the physical, emotional and psychological challenges uniquely faced by women transitioning home from war. IMG Model Emily Didonato introduced them during the press conference at Lincoln Center.
DKNYC has designed an exclusive watch featuring traditional military "dog tag" imagery with a stylish feminine twist. It will be available exclusively at HSN and HSN.com this summer. Customers can sign up for updates on the watch at http://bit.ly/hsn-fatigues-to-fab and visit www.fatiguestofabulous.com for campaign details. For each watch sold, "HSN Cares" and DKNYC will donate a portion of the proceeds to Fatigues to Fabulous™. "HSN Cares," HSN’s charitable campaign, is devoted to helping women and families by raising awareness and funds for trusted organizations.
"Fatigues to Fabulous™ is a campaign that speaks to women, in a woman’s voice, honestly, about the serious issues they are facing when they come home from war," said Air Force pilot and Iraqi war veteran, Colonel Kim Olson, Executive Director of Grace After Fire. "We are getting the word out that they need help. Help with basics from health and employment to literally ‘what to wear’ to feel confident now that they are out of uniform. We’re delighted that the fashion industry is putting its substantial muscle behind the gals who have been putting their muscle up to defend our nation for so long!"
Mark Weber, Chairman and CEO of Donna Karan International, said, "As a brand that celebrates the lives and spirit of women, we are enormously proud to support the women who have bravely given so much to serve our country. Fatigues to Fabulous™ is the way we and our industry can show these women that we recognize the challenges they face and contribute to the work of Grace After Fire and SWHR in easing the transition for women veterans."
"Women in uniform are warriors and heroes, and they’re also wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and friends," said Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, Inc. "We are indebted to them for their dedication to serving our country and want to give them a ‘badge of honor’ that’s fabulous and stylish – and that we can wear to show we support them."
Despite countless risks, impact on family and untold uncertainty, over 1.8 million women have taken up the call to serve. The Fatigues to Fabulous™ campaign, also known as F2F, is designed to raise awareness of the contributions veteran women are making in the protection of our nation, and the challenges they face upon return. Among them, having spent their service years in uniform, the emotional challenges of re-uniting with their more feminine side can be daunting. The campaign is working with the fashion industry to help women make the transition to a civilian wardrobe, raise awareness of the challenges they face, and harness resources to support them.
More Information about Grace After Fire and the Society for Women’s Health Research
Under the F2F banner, Grace After Fire and SWHR are collaborating on a series of initiatives to mobilize the public in support of this unique population of women. The organizations deliver direct mentoring and counseling services, promote the need for new medical research and treatments reversing male-centric studies and, importantly, become a resource to these women as they seek job skills retraining and employment.
"The resources currently available to veteran women are simply not yet fully designed for the needs of the 25-year-old young mother who has returned from a year away on active duty. For example, she may not find the OB/GYN services needed, adequate childcare for a four hour appointment, nor privacy for the examinations," said Olson noting that the average age of a female veteran is 48, and the age of the most recently discharged just 30. "Our mission is to reach these young women, help them navigate the resources available and mentor them as they transition back to civilian life." Women currently make up 20% of the new recruits to the military, and female veterans have become the fastest growing sector of Veteran Administration (VA) patients. Yet, only 14% of women veterans access VA healthcare. The SWHR has testified before Congress to draw attention to the growing needs for better health resources and outcomes for women veterans.
"When it comes to military service impact and injuries — sex matters," added Phyllis Greenberger, M.S.W., President and CEO of the SWHR. "While accidents and injuries are often an uncontrollable reality for those who serve, what we can control is making sure women are appropriately equipped and protected. For those injuries that cannot be prevented, we must have care options that are designed for women. Some studies are already reporting important differences in the incidence, severity, and outcomes among male and female veterans in conditions ranging from PTSD to muscle and joint disorders. Finding the best, evidence-based treatments for women and men can only happen with research."
Visit the F2F website and Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/Fatigues2Fabulous) to learn how you can help honor women veterans, and for updated information, profiles on inspirational veteran women and access to the resource links.
Background Information
Fatigues to Fabulous™ (F2F) is a national program designed to highlight those women serving in our nation’s military, and the unique issues faced by women veterans. For decades, transitioning back into civilian life has meant a confusing array of services, forms and offices. The challenges women face upon returning can range from medical to housing to employment and often build upon each other. While other campaigns have focused on military families, F2F aims specifically to raise public consciousness about those mothers, wives, sisters, aunts and nieces who have proudly served in the U.S., here and abroad. The needs of the veteran women span five key areas: education, jobs, healthcare, family support and finance.
Grace After Fire
Grace After Fire was created to ensure women veterans have equitable access to care. Its vision is to provide outreach to women veterans offering confidential peer support and direct access to appropriate trauma, addiction, and mental health and support services. The organization delivers services to the target population both face-to-face and through an online peer community with 24/7 availability. It has expanded its reach through the use of peer trainers for new women veteran volunteers, and through the education and outreach to non-VA healthcare providers with information on delivering "trauma informed, gender-response" (TIGR) care to their women veteran patients who are seeking non-VA care in staggering percentages. Grace After Fire is a 501©3 charitable organization.
Society for Women’s Health Research
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is the nation’s only not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of all women through advocacy, education and research. SWHR advocates for increased funding for research on women’s health, encourages the study of sex differences that may affect the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, promotes the inclusion of women in medical research studies, and informs women, providers, policy makers and media about contemporary women’s health issues. SWHR is a 501©3 not-for-profit organization.
The SWHR is the nation’s only not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of all women through advocacy, education, and research. The SWHR advocates for a greater exploration of the sex-based differences in the effects of trauma be it from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Military Sexual Trauma (MST) which is reported by 1 in 5 women in the service.
Contact: Lora Grassilli
Email: lgrassilli@ccapr.com
Phone: 212-229-8445