Giving in Style: Fashion in the Philanthropy Lane

An exclusive interview with Ally Hilfiger about her fight against Lyme Disease and how fashion and philanthropy merge
By Tyler Butler
Fashion has been a constant theme throughout my career, a place where giving back has been met with style and grace.
Whether producing charity events, such as Arizona Humane Society’s Compassion with Fashion or being recognized for my own trendsetting attire, fashion has been my passion. It is woven into my love for charity and community.
So when the opportunity arose to be part of the new Frontdoors Media as a society and fashion contributor, I saw it as a chance to tap into my two favorite arenas while visiting my roots in publishing. My first post-college job was as a founder of the weekly publication College Times. And while I moved my career over to non-profit and corporate responsibility a few years later, I recognized that philanthropy, media and fashion could have a happy, seamless union.
Bitten but not shy
When it was announced that fashion royalty Ally Hilfiger, daughter of fashion scion Tommy Hilfiger, was coming to the Valley to share her story about living with Lyme disease, I knew this had to be the focus of my first Frontdoors column.
Ally’s book, “Bite Me: How Lyme Disease Stole My Childhood, Made Me Crazy And Almost Killed Me,” chronicles her agonizing experiences with the debilitating illness. Having suffered for 14 years prior to proper Lyme detection, she learned firsthand how critical diagnosis and treatment are for those who struggle with this disease. Ally’s visit to Arizona had a simple mission: to increase awareness about the disease and push for better testing for those affected.
In my exclusive interview with Ally, we dove deeper into her perspective on Lyme disease. She has come a long way. Her father institutionalized her during the darkest days of her illness. Now he is her biggest advocate and extremely proud of her and the work she does to help spread awareness about Lyme disease.
I met up with Ally at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn, where she was speaking at the Focus on Lyme conference and Wave of Change Gala. It was cool to see up close her keen sense of style as she strutted in to the room wearing an in vogue pair of Givenchy booties and a Stella McCartney dress.
What follows is a condensed version of our interview:
FD: What do you think is the one thing that’s most needed in the fight against Lyme disease right now?
Ally: The one thing most needed is more research. It’s all about the science. We can educate people and talk about how it affects you and what happened, but at the end of the day it is all about science and if there isn’t an accurate way to test then what is the point of finding out if you have Lyme disease?
FD: What inspired you to share your story at this event?
Ally: I met Tammy Crawford (executive director of Focus On Lyme) at the mindbodygreen conference. She and I really got along and I loved that she was really trying to get everybody under one roof to make a difference and try to come up with a more accurate way to diagnose and test for this disease. I feel very passionately about this as I believe in looking ahead to the future and not being bitter about the past. So I think the best revenge is really being bold and honest and controversial and this was a safe environment to do so.
FD: When you mention being controversial, how does that relate for you in gaining mainstream attention for this disease?
Ally: I think it is scary for public figures to talk about a disease that is so debated or politically opposed. It’s really unfortunate that the government and CDC have been so unsupportive of the truth about this disease and what people go through and the lack of advancements in science.
FD: So then how do you think we can get more people to be more aware of it?
Ally: I see an opportunity to make people more aware of this disease through fashion and through bringing some glamour to the cause. Think of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll and how by bringing people who are in the limelight in the entertainment business, fashion world and music industry comfortably forward so that they feel safe enough to share their story and how this will bring more awareness to the cause. It takes a lot of vulnerability to share something so personal and people get scared to be open to scrutiny and judgement, but I don’t care because I am just being honest and hopefully it will help people out there who are listening.
FD: You’ve mentioned using fashion to bring more awareness to Lyme disease. How do you see philanthropy and fashion fitting together?
Ally: When creative people are successful in their field they have an obligation and a duty to be philanthropic. It gives more sustenance to certain crafts if you are marrying them with philanthropy. If a percentage of sales can benefit a certain cause or donating fashion show tickets to different fundraisers, there is an opportunity to use fashion for good. There are a lot of ways the fashion world can contribute. I particularly like it when brick and mortar stores bring awareness to causes by donating proceeds from a particular item’s sales to a certain charity. Fashion can be a machine to bring awareness.
FD: What’s next for you?
Ally: I am starting my own podcast, with PodcastOne. I believe people have a toolbox in coping with different things so I intend to bring in experts who I respect from different fields to share with us what is in their toolbox. Yolanda Foster, a fellow Lyme disease survivor and advocate will be one of my first guests. Her book is coming out soon and she has tremendous vulnerability by telling her story.
Tyler Butler is the Society and Fashion Writer for Frontdoors Media. She is the Founder and Principal of 11Eleven Consulting, a consulting firm that incorporates visionary principles, diverse perspectives and sustainable practices to create programs that benefit society and build positive sentiment for brands.
Photos by Amanda Reeves, Twin Lens Studios.