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When Australian label Camilla And Marc first launched their Ovaries. Talk About Them. campaign in 2019, it was powerfully disruptive and immensely personal. Having lost their beloved mother, Pamela, when they were just eleven and twelve to ovarian cancer, the brand’s founders, Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman, were determined to do what they were told no one could: stop ovarian cancer deaths. Six years on, the initiative is no longer just a rallying cry—it’s on the cusp of rewriting the future of women’s health forever.
Ovarian cancer, often dubbed a “silent killer,” remains one of the deadliest and least understood cancers in the world. While most parts of our bodies can be more easily tested, ovaries are positioned deep inside the abdominal cavity, making it almost impossible to detect cancerous tumours before they are already at critical stages. With no early detection test and few symptoms (until it’s too late), survival rates remain devastatingly low. By 2050, deaths are projected to rise by 70%—a statistic that underscores just how urgent this fight is.
But this year, the conversation feels different, renewed with fresh hope. That’s because researchers at UNSW, led by Professor Caroline Ford and her all-female team, are edging closer than ever to delivering a world-first: a blood test that can detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages.
“People talk about finding a cure for cancer as a kind of miracle thing,” Dr Kristina Warton explained to GRAZIA during a lab visit in 2023. “But an early detection test for cancer would have the same outcome for cancer patients. So that’s what we’re about in the lab.”
While this area of research is chronically underfunded, Professor Ford’s team have been able to make immense steps with the aid of Camilla And Marc’s annual campaign, raising a staggering $2.5 million so far.
Thanks to this investment, the team has already identified three unique DNA biomarkers and is now in the process of combining them into a single test… one that could change everything.
“We’re on the verge of a scientific breakthrough that could fundamentally change outcomes for people with ovarian cancer around the world,” explains Professor Ford. “Early detection is the missing piece—and we’re closer than ever to delivering it.”
“We are incredibly optimistic that the wonderfully capable team is on track to take the first early detection test to clinical trial by 2026,” says the brand’s co-founder, Camilla Freeman-Topper. “Now, we need everyone to show up like never before, for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. If we get this across the line, we could change the future of women’s health globally.”
“This campaign started as a personal mission—to fund a test that didn’t exist,” adds co-founder Marc Freeman. “Through the incredible commitment of our community, this dream is now within reach. We set a bold goal, but this is what happens when purpose drives business.”
As the fashion world continues to align with causes that matter, Camilla and Marc stand out for their persistence. They’re not just selling clothes—they’re helping fund a scientific breakthrough that could save millions of mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. And that makes this campaign less of a moment and more of a movement.
What makes Ovaries. Talk About Them. so powerful is its ability to bring huge talents together in a feat of activism that fuses fashion and science. Each year, the campaign’s dedicated capsule collection has sold out, with 100% of proceeds funnelled directly into funding this vital research.
While it’s often joked that we’re not saving lives in the fashion industry, this purchase can become a life-saving one.
Find out more about the groundbreaking work going on at UNSW here.
Shop the Ovaries. Talk About Them. 2025 collection below
