All is Love – Idris Elba Stella McCartney on breast cancer

All is Love, a film celebrating the launch of www.stellamccartneycares.org in 2018, has won a Grand Clio award in the Fashion and Beauty category. Award-winning actor and director Idris Elba narrates “All is Love”, a poem by writer and spoken-word poet Kai Isaiah Jamal, as people share their experiences with breast cancer. The cinematic short film aims to inspire, support and educate, and challenge the taboo surrounding men talking about breasts openly with their partners. The film serves as a reminder that breast cancer effects both men and women and the experience extends beyond the sufferer to their loved ones. Idris Elba lost his father to cancer, Fashion stylist Stella McCartney lost her mother Linda McCartney to cancer in 1998, while Idris Elba lost his father to cancer in 2013.

Poignant moments appear throughout the video as we connect intimately with women like Phoebe, sitting with her brother and sister, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 28. She launched a community charity after beating the disease. Sarah, a mother of two, overcame both breast cancer and PTSD.

Idris Elba comments:

“Along with many other people. I was unfortunate enough to have lost my father to cancer 5 years ago. Removing the taboo around men talking about breast cancer and encouraging other men to talk about it with their wives, mothers, sisters is something you don’t often see or hear about but it should be. We should be encouraging the women in our lives to go for regular check-ups. I admire Stella for all her hard work around bringing awareness to this disease and I applaud her for such a great campaign- the gift of the Louise Listening mastectomy bra to breast cancer sufferers & survivors is a beautiful idea.”

All is Love Bandana

In conjunction with the campaign film, Stella designed an “All is Love” limited edition bandana in collaboration with modern American outfitter, Best Made Co. The red 100% cotton bandana is printed with encouraging messages and Best Made Co.’s key pillars for an extraordinary life -“Grace, Compassion, Courage, Fortitude” – to serve as a reminder to both women and men to stay healthy and get themselves checked regularly.

Louise Listening

The Stella McCartney Cares platform has allowed the designer and the brand to funnel their philanthropic activities and efforts through one centralized channel. As part of the first initiative of www.stellamccartneycares.com, the “Louise Listening” post-operative mastectomy compression bra, named after the designer’s mother, Linda Louise McCartney, was globally distributed for free. Available on a donation basis only, the bra could be requested on www.stellamccartneycares.org/pink. Stella hopes this new initiative will help women around the world have greater access to the bra and the comfort it provides during their battle with breast cancer.

Stella McCartney comments:

“There are so many emotions attached to the tragic realities of having had a double mastectomy. And we just wanted to make something that allows women undergoing this to have something to be proud of, something with no shame attached. We wanted women to know that you can still be feminine, have your sensuality, have all of the things that are attached to being a woman and that part of your body can still feel beautiful on the outside, as well as the inside.

All is Love Credits

Filming was shot by director Mollie Mills via Radical Media, with director of photography Jordan Buck, producer Samona Olanipekun, 1st AD Alex Baldwin, 2nd AD Elicia Lotherington, stylist PC Williams, hair stylist Yuuki Yanase, make up artist Ammy Drammeh, set designer Rebecca Nurse, and stills photographer Ana Sting.

Editor was Laura Cairney-Keize at Marshall Street Editors with producer Beanie Goldsmith. Colourist was Tim Smith at Electric Theatre Collective.

A special thanks to Dorothy, Ginny, Maria, Meesha, Phoebe, Harriett, their families and @hbcanceruk.