WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression (iFred) will have a presence at New York Fashion Week this weekend in an effort to encourage designers across the industry to incorporate the color yellow and sunflowers into designs, as a part of the movement to rebrand depression in a positive light.
"The Fashion Industry is a proven agent of social change," said Kathryn Goetzke, President and Founder of iFred. "It is our hope that designers from across the industry will join iFred in partnership to eradicate the negative stigma associate with depression and change the way our society approaches this terrible disease, in a true effort to save millions of lives around the world."
iFred currently works in partnership with Skinny Jeans, which has a custom pair of sunflower yellow jeans which promotes and gives 15% of proceeds to iFred's Field for Hope campaign. Sunflowers and their growth tendency to lean towards the sun represent the names and faces of those who can easily be treated for depression.
iFred is a 501(c)(3) organization whose primary purpose is to reduce and eventually eradicate the stigma associated with depression. Depression is treatable, yet fewer than 25 percent of those experiencing a major depressive episode receive treatment, primarily due to the stigma and negative perception of depression. By "shining a positive light" on depression, iFred seeks to positively "rebrand" and "reposition" with the sunflower, the color yellow, and the focus on Hope, to secure that someday 100 percent of depression patients are willing and able to get the help they need.
www.iFred.org
@ifredorg || @fieldforhope