At a glance…
- At 58, Motto Fashions founder Faye Browne was diagnosed with breast cancer, undergoing a double mastectomy that changed her relationship with her body.
- Now 72, Faye is challenging expectations of ageing women with a daring new fashion campaign that has sparked controversy.
- Speaking to The Weekly, Faye reflects on rebuilding her confidence, embracing her body and why women should never feel they have to fade into the background.
The universe works in mysterious ways, always giving subtle signs if you look close enough. Faye Browne was reminded of this when she sat down for an interview with The Weekly, because it just so happened to be the 14th anniversary of her double mastectomy.
“I’m always amazed at how the universe works,” she exclaimed to The Australian Women’s Weekly. “I’m big on the universe.”
Faye was 58 years old when she suffered a migraine ahead of her trip to America. After having “benign” lumps in her breasts for five years, Faye thought the doctor was being pedantic when she insisted on getting a biopsy.
“God, to think back, I’m so crazy… She called me back, and I sat there still so happy like, ‘Yay, I’m going to America next week! Everything is fine.’ Then she said, ‘You have breast cancer,’” she recalled.
“I was in so much shock that I ran out of there and didn’t pay my bill. I didn’t know how to process it.”
Faye spent the following hours numb, unsure of how to process the information, let alone tell her loved ones. With no history of cancer in her family, everyone was shocked that healthy Faye received the dreaded diagnosis, to which she responded, “God knows I can handle this.”
“From that moment on, I became strong. You have to find strength from somewhere when you go through something like that. We’re not taught; there’s no book…”
Her next challenge was undergoing the double mastectomy. She remembered looking in the mirror, feeling as though her femininity was lost. “I thought I was this powerful woman, and all of a sudden I couldn’t look after my own body; I had to brainwash myself into loving this new person that I’d become.”
“I can say I love my children, I love my husband, I love my career. But I never thought about loving myself.”
And being a woman in the fashion industry only amplified the pressure. In 1985, Faye launched Motto Fashions in Melbourne with her husband John. The clothing label was quickly featured in Vogue and Dolly, beloved for its playful prints and quality products.
It was her love of fashion (with a lot of meditation) that helped Faye rediscover her confidence.
“I lived and breathed [fashion]. It always gave me confidence, and I thought to myself, ‘Okay, I’m going to be the best bald girl out there!’” she said, experimenting with different coloured wigs, and even putting multiple scarves on, which got her a lot of “weird” looks.
After some time, Faye decided to get breast implants. “After breast cancer, a double mastectomy and reconstruction, I had spent years learning to feel comfortable and confident in my body again,” she said.
“For me, reconstruction was part of that journey, but it was an entirely personal choice. Every woman’s experience is different — there’s no right or wrong way to feel confident and beautiful in your body.”
Perhaps it was this confidence that, at 72 years old, pushed her to pose in her most daring campaign yet. Dressed in a red power suit to shoot Motto Fashion’s latest collection, encouraging women to “wear your good sh*t,” Faye lounged with her chest exposed.
“I knew it was bold, but it came from a very personal place,” she said. “At 72, after everything my body has been through, I’m proud of it.
“The campaign wasn’t about shocking anyone; it was about reaching a point where I no longer felt the need to hide or apologise for who I am.”
However, many didn’t feel empowered by the billboard. Faye received a flood of cruel comments, calling her “cheap” or telling her to “grow up.” But would these people be nicer if they knew the difficult and heartbreaking journey Faye embarked on just a few years ago?
“Some of the backlash was difficult to read, but it also reinforced why I wanted to do it,” she confessed. “Women shouldn’t feel that getting older means they have to fade into the background or stop expressing themselves.”
“Cancer taught me not to wait for a special occasion to enjoy life. Wear your good sh*t. You are the occasion.”
