Psoriasis fashion show avoids promotional pitch
September 3, 2009 – 9:00 am by Steven Niles
Although Amgen and Wyeth were the two major sponsors behind yesterday’s Addressing Psoriasis Fashion Show in New York City, the event itself carefully avoided any direct reference to the companies’ psoriasis drug Enbrel. Hosted by television host and fashion consultant Tim Gunn, the fashion show was designed to recognize people with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who have not allowed the condition to inhibit their personal style. Held Sept. 2, 2009 at MILK Studios in the Meat Packing District, overlooking the Hudson River, the event was the culmination of a disease-education campaign launched by Amgen and Wyeth in March.
The awareness campaign is designed to help people with plaque psoriasis get more information about managing their disease and feel more confident in their everyday style. The eight contest winners, who modeled designs created by students from the Fashion Institute of Technology, were selected from among hundreds of entries and were chosen based on the inspirational nature of their story about overcoming the challenges of living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and how it has affected their personal style and the clothing they wear.
Tim Gunn shared hosting duties with dermatologist Susan C. Taylor, M.D., who provided the educational component of yesterday’s event, detailing the nature of the disease and the impact psoriasis can have on a person’s life. Although there are several types of psoriasis, about 80% of patients suffer from plaque psoriasis, which causes painful and itchy red, scaly patches. As a result, many sufferers seek out clothing options that can conceal the potentially embarrassing blemishes.
As the audience at yesterday’s fashion show learned via emotional testimonials, each of the eight contest winners have found the confidence within themselves to accept their disease as a fact of life and to develop a sense of fashion uncompromised by their disease.
Following the introduction by Mr. Gunn and Dr. Taylor, each of the eight contestants’ runway walks were proceeded by a video slide show detailing their personal stories of dealing with psoriasis. At the end, Mr. Gunn announced the winner of an online vote to select the most inspirational story from among the eight winners. That winner was Cynthia McGowen of League City, Texas.
Ms. McGowen was diagnosed with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis when she was in her mid-twenties. The condition first appeared as a patch on one elbow, but over time, it worsened and now she has plaques on her elbows, arms, knees and ankles. At first, she assembled a wardrobe of long sleeves and pants to hide behind, but eventually Ms. McGowen realized to truly be herself she needed to stand up to her disease by putting away the clothes that concealed her skin.
The Addressing Psoriasis Fashion Show was a truly non-promotional disease awareness event. Throughout the afternoon, no reference was made to the two pharmaceutical sponsors or to their jointly marketed product Enbrel. In the United States, Enbrel is indicated for the treatment of patients 18 years old or older with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
The participants remained true to the non-promotional ethos even when a door was presented to them to do otherwise. During a Q&A panel after the show, I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Taylor to discuss treatment options available. She emphasized that no cure exists for psoriasis but encouraged people with psoriasis to visit a dermatologist to learn more about their disease and find a treatment regimen that may work for them.
I then asked Ms. McGowen to talk about her personal battle with psoriasis and asked her to talk specifically about the treatment options she has pursued. However, her response echoed that of Dr. Taylor, and she avoided specifics about any medications she might or might not have taken to treat the disease.
For Amgen and Wyeth, this should be counted as a successful example of creating a completely non-promotional disease awareness campaign. For the dozens of audience members in attendance and for the countless number who followed the contest online, they would be no wiser that a product like Enbrel even exists.
What they certainly have come away with is an understanding that psoriasis is nothing to be ashamed of and that the best way to deal with it is not only to visit a dermatologist to discuss potential treatment options immediately but also to develop a personal style that’s fun and flattering without letting one’s skin dictate one’s choices.
Tags: Amgen, disease awareness, Enbrel, fashion show, non-promotional, psoriasis, Wyeth
