Camilla Franks opens up on breast cancer, being a mum and her US stores
Emerging on the other side of her battle with cancer, designer Camilla Franks is throwing herself into motherhood and her eponymous fashion label as it launches in the US.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Emerging on the other side of her battle with cancer, designer Camilla Franks is throwing herself into motherhood and her eponymous fashion label as it launches in the US.
Franks, 43, was diagnosed with breast cancer just four months after the birth of now 14-month-old daughter Luna and underwent what she describes as a six-month “bazooka” of chemotherapy.
“Last year was filled with so much light giving birth to Luna and then the darkness,” Franks told The Saturday Telegraph.
“I danced with the devil and I am coming out the other end. I am still fatigued but I can feel my body regenerating.
“I needed to ninja up and I knew I had to keep my mind and focus powerful and strong to suck the marrow out of that world of cancer.”
Franks has spent the past week in Los Angeles, where she opened a store in Orange County. Three weeks ago she opened a store in Miami.
She is focused and full of energy after launching her 15th anniversary collection based on her homeland.
MORE NEWS:
MAFS star’s ex and the texts: ‘Stop harassing me’
‘No big deal!’ Jack Vidgen opens up about plastic surgery
Baby Luna and partner JP Jones are travelling with her as she also heads to the UK for what she describes as an “inspiration trip”.
A year ago, it was a very different picture. Travelling around Australia seeking inspiration for her new collection, she discovered a lump in her left breast.
“When you hear the word cancer you think you are dying,” she recalled.
“The terror and the fear and the darkness that just dropped down on me was the most confronting pain that I’ve ever felt and I don’t wish that upon anyone. It was complete shock.
“It was like life stood still and everything was spinning around me but that did pass and I had a battle to fight.”
That battle included intensive chemotherapy, but it was as much mental as anything else. Yoga helped greatly, as did meditation and eating well. She also researched anything she could get her hands on.
“I did everything I could. I wanted to get an A+ (from her doctor),” she said.
“I read everything. I went to every doctor appointment. Because I was getting sicker and sicker, it was hard to have the stamina to listen and comprehend but I just wanted to make sure I made the right choices for this body I’ve been given.
“It started off very scary. I was terrified. Cancer was the catalyst for me to become the student of a really deep self-exploration. I learnt to surrender and let go and I learnt to jump on for the ride and go with the tides, and the battlefield became a lot more peaceful.
“I have actually come out of it a lot more peaceful … a lot more calm, a lot more happy, peaceful, grounded and a lot more true and authentic to what I want in this life. So there was beauty in the madness of last year.”
Franks didn’t stop working through the battle. It helped keep her sane and gave her a sense of direction on the toughest of days.
“Going through chemo and everything, I went and planned the biggest year yet,” she said.
“I think it was my happy place and my playground, an escape from the world of cancer. It has always been a dream for me to open stores in America.”
Franks has spent much of the past 15 years of her business travelling the world. Every six months she releases a new collection based on one of her inspiration trips — Africa, India, Vietnam, South America and France among them.
This new collection is called Mother, representing Australia and also her new role with her daughter.
“Luna has brought out a fierce lioness I didn’t know was within me,” she said.
“She has made me feel a love I had never felt before and a joy and happiness and a groundedness I’d never felt before. No matter what you go through in your day, it can be chaotic and hectic, but I know that I come back and look into her eyes and hold her and I feel a complete rush of peace and everything else melts away.”
Outside of business, Franks has focused on a number of charity initiatives.
Having a daughter has inspired her to get involved with the likes of The Hunger Project, which works on empowering underprivileged women.
“My mission in this life is not just to be the best mother I can be but to help empower women around the world,” she said.
“As women we are told we rule the world but we are not quite there yet. There is a bit of bullshit surrounding that.
“I don’t think there are enough women in leadership roles, I don’t think there’s enough women in politics or with equal pay and I don’t think there are enough women knowing what their rights are with their body.
“Luna makes me want to fight a hell of a lot harder for the rights of women. While I don’t expect Luna to be prime minister, I would love her to be able to do so.”
Franks would love to have more kids but “I don’t know if I can after all my treatment”.
“If the angels above make it happen, that would be amazing,” she said, “but we will see, watch this space.”
INSPIRATION BEHIND CAMILLA’S DESIGNS
Camilla Franks is marking 15 years in the business by bringing it all home.
The celebrated designer has drawn inspiration from all things Australia for her new ready-to-wear collection, showcasing everything from native wattle to the blue of the Great Barrier Reef and the red desert earth.
“I always wanted to savour and do something really special for Australia and I also wanted to do Australia proud,” Franks told The Saturday Telegraph.
“As a young designer I think I probably wasn’t ready to do that but this was the right milestone to celebrate so I wanted to go into my own big backyard of Australia.”
She named the collection Mother in reference to her 14-month-old daughter, Luna, but also a tribute to the nation she knows and loves.
“The collection explores Australia’s diversity, touching on the key themes of Mother Nature, flora, fauna and our indigenous community,” she said.
“It is quite a playful collection with a few serious bits in there.”
Starting in Canberra, where she visited museums and galleries, Franks ventured to Byron Bay, the Blue Mountains, Cairns, Port Douglas, Darwin, the Tiwi Islands and Uluru.
The end result is some 400 pieces of clothing for women mostly, but also men and kids.
Traditionally known for her kaftans, the collection features dresses, pants, embellished bomber jackets, jacquard coats, jumpsuits, homewares and shoes.
“How I design is I get off the beaten track and I immerse myself into a new world,” Franks explained.
“I take 70,000 photographs and it is those photos that translate into the prints each season and it is those experiences that give birth to the collections every season.”
Originally published as Camilla Franks opens up on breast cancer, being a mum and her US stores
$14k a clip: NSW YouTube stars making more than you
YouTube stars in NSW are raking in thousands of dollars per video but it’s what they do in their clips that will drive traditional workers mad. Check out the rich list.
Glamming it up for a return to the racecourse
The first official racing carnival featuring the new $46.6m WINX stand at Randwick Racecourse is kicking off, with model and new mum Ksenija Lukich among those dressing up for the occasion.