Enduring POWER

In a cultural landscape where fashion intersects with notions of superficiality, Ong Bee Yan's groundbreaking movement, Fashion for Cancer, emerges as a transformative force. Ahead of its second iteration, the founder and senior model sheds light on the devastating effects of the illness while celebrating the power of community and human strength.

- MAYA MENON

My name is Bee Yan and I am 68 years old. I am a senior fashion model, co-founder of cold brew startup IdegreeC and founder of Fashion for Cancer-a charity fashion show aiming to raise funds for cancer research and financial aid. I am also a wife, mother and grandmother to three beautiful grandchildren.

My foray into fashion began at 63 years old by chance. It started when a local fashion designer wanted everyday people of different ages to model her tie-dye T-shirt collection. Despite my initial hesitation, I embraced the opportunity. I told myself that if a designer trusted me to wear her clothes, I had no reason to doubt myself. After the shoot, a photographer chanced on her social media post, liked my silver hair and the rest, as they say, is history.

The most impactful experience I've had since starting my career in fashion was founding Fashion for Cancer. Instead of runway models, the inaugural iteration of Fashion for Cancer was modelled by cancer survivors. Our event was successfully launched on 25 August last year. It took six months of planning and organising and I was blessed with a community of like-minded people who believed in the cause and gave their time, resources and expertise to support it.