It all begins with ovaries. By the year 2050, more than half a million women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, yet there is still no early detection test for the deadliest female cancer. With one step left and one year to get the world’s first DNA based early detection test for ovarian cancer to clinical trials, Camilla and Marc Freeman continue their dedicated campaign. We spoke to Marc about the Ovaries. Talk About Them campaign being in its fifth year, and what's to come.

It’s the fifth year of the Ovaries. Talk About Them campaign - congratulations. How do you feel looking back at how much you’ve achieved?

Thank you, it’s incredibly humbling and something we’re very proud of. When we began this campaign in honour of our mother, it was driven by the hope that no other son or daughter would have to lose their mum too soon. To see Professor Caroline Ford and Dr Kristina Warton’s early detection project come so far, the progress in the lab has been extraordinary, and to now be standing on the brink of a breakthrough that could change the future of ovarian cancer globally, is hard to put into words. More than anything, I feel proud of our team and the incredible community that has rallied around this movement to make this happen. It shows that when people unite behind a shared purpose, extraordinary things really can happen.

Since you launched the campaign you have raised over 2.5 million in funding to get the DNA multiplexing test to clinical trial - what has been the feedback from the researchers at UNSW? ‍

The funding has been absolutely critical to this project, its what allows the scientists to dedicate the time and resources to push this early detection research forward. Funding is so vital to the science. The team at UNSW are optimistic that by the end of the multiplexing process, we will have a test that is both sensitive and specific in detecting tiny amounts of tumour DNA, or stage 1 ovarian cancer, and ready for clinical trials.‍

The campaign has focused on community support. What’s the feedback been like? Has it continued to power you both on? What’s the best feedback you’ve received? ‍

The support from the community has honestly been overwhelming, in the best possible way. From the very beginning, it’s grown far beyond what we could have imagined, and every year the momentum only gets stronger. What’s been so moving is seeing how organic the support is from our CAMILLA AND MARC community, celebrities, policy leaders, creatives, and everyday people who have either been touched by ovarian cancer or simply feel compelled to stand with us. The truth is, this disease affects everyone in some way, and once people understand the statistics, they want to help. That groundswell of support has been incredibly motivating for us. The best feedback we’ve received is that women finally feel seen and heard, that there’s a voice and a movement shining light on an issue that for too long has been overlooked. That’s why we’re committed to taking Ovaries. Talk About Them. to an even bigger global stage. The more voices we bring into the movement, the more conversations we spark, and the closer we come to making an early detection test a reality for women globally.

What’s especially important to you in the design of these pieces? As opposed to the ready to wear? Is there an overarching goals when designing these? ‍

The design this year is minimal and pared back, black and white with bold typography, to let the message speak louder than ever. It’s incredibly important for us to create unisex designs to open this conversation up to everyone. Our goal is to create something bold, universal and enduring, that unites people under one shared purpose.  

Bestseller out of all the Ovaries Talk About Them collections?

The original white tee continues to be iconic, but more recently the cap has become one of our most popular styles.

Do you have a personal favourite?

This year’s collection stands out for me. You can’t go wrong with black and white. The black “It All Begins With Ovaries” unisex t-shirt is a favourite.

Soundtrack to the fifth year campaign?

Vivaldi’s Spring - because it feels like we’re on the precipice of brighter days.

What’s next?

This next year is critical; we are just one step away from getting this test to clinical trials. The incredible team at UNSW are working tirelessly to make this a reality.  

camillaandmarc.com