Looking Good, Feeling Better - Our Feature on Breastcancer.org
In a perfect world and when one loses their hair, a beautifully wrapped package stocked full of everything you need to take you from hair-loss to regrowth should be available to all. It should feel stylish, be easy and relatable, all the while offering the much needed ‘beauty boost’ at a time when it’s needed very most.
THE PROBLEM:
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and faced losing my hair, something that I had always identified myself by, I desperately struggled to find headwear options that felt like me and fit into my lifestyle. My wig was great but uncomfortable to wear day in - day out. Faced with the million new daily health decisions and changes, I wanted and needed easy headwear alternatives that didn’t require a lot of thought but were impossible to find. I desperately needed a fashion ‘pick-me-up’ and quickly realized that ‘retail therapy’ just did not exist for the cancer patient.
So you have a snap-shot of me, I’d consider myself a savvy shopper. I love a great deal as much as I love luxury shopping. I’m not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ kind of girl given my body type but can always make something work for me. Trust me when I say I scoured the internet for any and all headwear that would work for me, always coming up short and completely disappointed when my package arrived. I wish I could say that at the time, this disappointment had more to do with what I was feeling emotionally and joy was just harder to find….but no, it was this empty void in fashion that had me feeling so sad. I guess I was just expecting more. I wondered how we could come so far in the cancer world and in medicine yet almost stand still in fashion with regards to hair-loss due to chemo.
Bottomline…When you look good, you feel better…period.
THE SOLUTION:
With my background in the fashion industry along with having just lost my hair, the idea of GeeG came about. Purposeful products without prejudice…blurring the lines between patient and person by offering items that bring beauty and sensibility back to our lives. Building confidence and spreading some joy are good goals to aspire to.
Although not at all how I envisioned starting my business, the idea of filling this tremendous need for women like myself while giving back to groups and organizations that are making a difference for others seemed like the perfect place to start.
LOOKING GOOD…FEELING BETTER:
I took every hat and every turban I had purchased, along with their packaging to cross-reference and create the ideal headwear set for myself. My checklist looked something like this:
o minimalistic and understated while feeling elevated and stylish
o super comfortable and easy to care for as low-maintenance is my middle-name
o well-made from beautiful fabrics that made me feel good just by wearing them
o matching my hair color is key so it’s relatable to me
o something to create volume and lift to account for my bald flatness
o a loop at the back of the hat to anchor an attached scarf…with no hair, the scarf always rides up eventually!
o something that could take me from hair-loss to regrowth…at least a year
o adding a scarf band to help styling…to help with my intimidation and lack of talent with regard to scarf styling
o day to night versatility without the stress
o close attention to packaging is huge because who doesn’t like to receive a beautifully wrapped package?
When the challenges above all came together, the classic HEDY set was created…or the curated HEDY set with coordinating woven scarves for more versatility.
