Lana n Lisa’s Wanakafest bra auction reaps rewards

Breast cancer research reaps donations from Lana and Lisa’s Wanakafest bra auction

Lana Coc-Kroft’s bra sold for $50 and streaker Lisa Lewis’s bra went for $45 in the celebrity online bra auction today as a prelude to Wanakafest’s bid to break the world record for the longest chain of bras.

The current Guinness Book of Record was set on April 30 this year by Cypriot women with a total of 114, 782 bras.

Wanakafest’s chain of bras will be hung on a temporary security fencing maze on Wanaka’s main street on September 16 and 17.

Proceeds from the record attempt will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Trust.

To highlight the world record attempt, the first of several celebrity bra auctions closed on Trade Me today.

Wanakafest organiser Kery Quin said she was disappointed with the results but had high hopes other celebrity bras donated by Olympian skiers and radio announcers will fetch more.

Auckland-based lingerie designer Abracadabra is also playing a major part in the record-attempt by donating part of their sales proceeds to research trust during this campaign. They are running a competition online at www.abracadabra.co.nz which will add to the bra chain.

Abracadabra produces New Zealand’s fastest growing strapless and backless bras. ``We sponsor the champion Magic netball team and they have donated bras for the chain. It is great they have become involved by donating their bras for this excellent cause,’’ Abracadabra director Vivian Zhong said today.

The campaign aims to get women from all over the country to send in their old bras with a donation via www.wanakafest.co.nz.

Companies have also be invited to donate bras with a money donation along the way in the quest to collect 115,000 bras,’ Wanakafest organiser Kerry Quin said today.

``We are thrilled Abracadabra are behind us. They are working hard to collect second-hand strapped bras for this event to raise awareness of breast cancer, and to raise funds for trust.

``We would love all of New Zealand to get behind this world record attempt and auction because more people (600) die of breast cancer each year than those killed annually on our roads.’’

The attempt has made it to the BBC television studio in London amongst other media in the UK and Spain, Quin said.

``We are humbled this campaign has reached international proportions with a Northampton radio station north of London expecting to collect 500 bras for the attempt,’’ Quin said.

``A Napier lingerie store has collected more than 1000 bras and the New World supermarket in New Plymouth has also made a big effort. Schools are also getting behind the campaign.

``We have received bras with notes from some women saying it was their first bra after their mammogram. Others have sent in bras from girlfriends who have recently passed away.

``The stories are very touching and we are often really moved by the notes of support that we are getting daily.

``One group of women who have survived breast cancer and have donated bras and money are the Waikato Breast Cancer Trust,’’ Quin said.

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