Dawn Images

Talk about breast cancer awareness is usually relegated to October but designer Ali Xeeshan wants us to think about it today.

Ali Xeeshan Theatre Studio recently posted a video for its campaign ‘Parday Mein Parwah’. It stars Asma Nabeel, who was going through chemotherapy for breast cancer during the shoot. Nabeel is a motivational speaker and is also the CEO of Pink Warrior Films.

The film features Nabeel's poetry etched onto a specially designed dupatta by Ali Xeeshan. The idea behind the campaign is reimagining the dupatta, something traditionally used by 'modest' women and to keep women modest to spread awareness about breast cancer, something not often spoken about. For many people, modesty trumps health, which why breast cancer isn't a topic often discussed.

“In South Asia, a dupatta is a symbol of modesty. Because of this modesty, most women become shy when it comes to breast cancer,” said Xeeshan. This inspired him to redesign it so it is illustrative of modesty but also serves as a reminder for women to medically examine themselves for cancer.

Nabeel also posted pictures from the campaign on her Instagram. The dupatta she displays for us in the picture says 'Meray parday mein parwa hai'.

In the video, she recites other lines from her poetry, such as “Mat roko, mat toko, kay baat hai sehat ki meri [don’t stop, don’t interrupt, this is an issue about my health]."

The video and campaign are bound to make people emotional, but are also a much needed nudge for women to start taking care of themselves.

This isn't the first time Xeeshan has used his fashion brand to raise awareness about social issues. Recently, he also spoke about the menace of dowries and how they burden an entire family.