Plus-sized fashion show set to ro raise awareness about breast cancer

A plus-size fashion show for a good cause later this month aims to make sure people understand that custom designs are not just for the thin.  

The Oct. 30 event will feature real people wearing the fashion, said Crystal Carmen, founder of Pink the Runway, a fashion show to benefit breast cancer advocacy and research.

“The average American woman is a size 14, and we are under-represented in the luxury market,” she said. “Pink the Runway 2015 is our glamorous protest.”

Handbag designer Heidi Kelly, also a breast cancer survivor, wiped away tears as she said designing was important to her recovery.

“It’s not fair for young people to go through everything that I had to go through.  I had my sewing machine, which was my therapist, and I learned how to design handbags and created a business when I was going through breast cancer,” she said. A portion of the proceeds will go the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.