ICON II Returns to London Fashion Week to Raise Funds for Prost8 Charity

Following the success of the inaugural ICON gala last year, Helen Georgio, founder of Buzz Talent and This Is Icon II Charity Gala London (thisisicon2.com) is bringing another ambitious event to London Fashion Week in support of prostate cancer charity, Prost8.

ICON II, which takes place at the Connaught Rooms in the De Vere Grand Hotel, London will showcase the SS23 couture collection of the renowned designer Malan Breton and the work of up and coming designer Nathan Palmer.

In 2021, ICON I combined the worlds of fashion, show business and music to raise funds for NHS Charities Together and WellChild; now the event has thrown its support behind Prost8.

Helen Georgio of Buzz Talent said: “The point of ICON is to combine fashion and music with other art forms and leverage the spectacular talent we have on show to raise significant sums for charity.

“Last year we won the NSMA in London, the L.A award for Best Event for ICON I featuring Grace Jones and also the Best Agency award, and continued over the year to plan a range of diverse events to celebrate people from all walks of life. The ICON brand follows the fashion world closely and our aim is to make it synonymous with the industry while planning and hosting fabulous events.”

The mission to raise funds for Prost8 is an urgent one, as the charity is seeking to raise up to £3million to buy, donate and deploy revolutionary minimally invasive treatment units in NHS hospitals to stop men being needlessly overtreated for prostate cancer. Right now about 12,000 men each year with low grade prostate cancer will only be offered the same aggressive procedures as men with far more advanced cancer, which leaves them suffering from life changing side effects.

HIFU and focal therapy can be used to great effect on low to medium grade prostate cancers without causing lifestyle impacting side-effects such as sexual dysfunction and incontinence. These consequences have major impact on physical and mental wellbeing as well as emotional and relationship damage. 

More than 500,000 men are projected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the next 10 years alone. More than a third will be overtreated in the current healthcare landscape.

Prost8 aims to change this. The charity wants to deliver HIFU units to at least six strategically placed NHS hospitals to extend coverage of newer, less invasive focal treatments to the whole nation for free. Currently only three NHS hospitals have the equipment to provide this treatment and all in London or surrounds.

Prost8 was formed in 2019 after its founder, Paul Sayer, underwent his own journey through prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Finding that treatment options were limited to aggressive and aged methods, he discovered focal therapy and reaped the benefits: Paul currently has no symptoms or side effects as a result of his treatment and is cancer-free.

The charity is also lobbying the NHS and Dept of Health to step up and deploy this treatment more widely, after all it shouldn’t be up to a charity to do the work of the health sector.  The campaign, known as MAD (protecting Manhood And Dignity) is supported by a recent all party parliamentary group (APPG) report which roundly condemns the lack of action by the NHS in respect of these revolutionary treatments. 

Remarkable medical advances can provide a lifeline for thousands of men with prostate cancer and offer them more targeted and less invasive treatments.

Organisers Buzz Talent hosted a star-studded and glamorous fashion and music event last September in aid of charity and now aim to repeat the success with ICON II. The monetary donations Prost8 can expect as a result will bring them closer to the £3 million goal, but more importantly the wider publicity will be of immeasurable value.

1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer and, ironically, if just 1 in 8 of the 24m adult men in the UK donated just £1 Prost8 would smash the £3 million goal instantly and be able to fund coverage of this remarkable and novel treatment for patients across the entire nation on the NHS.