Donegal man dedicates proudest moment to his late wife

A young Donegal man is enjoying his ‘proudest moment yet’ as his business takes a major leap forward in the fashion world.

Luke Skinnader from Ramelton co-founded the chemo headwear brand ‘FVCK CANCER’ two years ago with his wife, Amelia Page. Amelia was going through cancer treatment and struggling to find stylish headwear. The couple decided to solve the problem themselves and help other young people face cancer head-on too.

Amelia was just 31 when she passed away. Her legacy and lust for life lives on among her friends and family, and through her empowering brand.

“Amelia is the soul of the brand. She keeps it driving forward and motivates me taking the brand to the next level,” Luke said.

FVCK CANCER is now on its way to becoming a household name after signing a collaboration with global fashion site Nasty Gal.

A new limited edition collection of T-shirts, headscarves and hats is being sold across Ireland, UK, US, and Australian sites. For every product sold, 100% of the profits will go to the two charities FVCK CANCER support; Teens Unite and The Pink Ribbon Foundation.

Luke said: “The collaboration with Nasty Gal is my proudest moment yet. I know Amelia would be buzzing at the prospect. She used to do a happy dance for each sale we got so you can only imagine the excitement for this.”

Nasty Gal has also adopted the awareness mission that FVCK CANCER was founded on. The site is encouraging young people to talk about ‘the big C’ and share their experiences on social media. The discussions that have begun are helping young people learn about the risks, symptoms, early diagnosis and support available if cancer comes into their lives.

“It’s nice to give people an avenue to share their stories,” Luke said. “Obviously it’s a lot less common [rare] for young people to get diagnosed with cancer. Younger people buy from Nasty Gal and that’s where we want to raise more awareness and provide a support network.”

Amelia was diagnosed with aggressive stomach cancer in January 2019, shortly after celebrating her 30th birthday. She had only met Luke the previous year, and they had fallen head over heels for each other. Suddenly their lives were turned upside down, but the whirlwind years that followed saw the couple get married at Glenveagh Castle, launch a business, travel to new countries and make numerous media appearances to help others and raise money for charity.

Luke has since moved back home to Donegal, where he finds comfort in the familiar.

“The support has been amazing. Being back home after dealing with grief, being in Donegal, there’s no better place,” he said.

“My parents and friends have been great. I’ve been back playing with Letterkenny Gaels after 10 years off, they have all supported me massively.

“I think being back has been a life saver.”

The Donegal community has also lent huge support to FVCK CANCER and Luke enjoys seeing local addresses on the order lists.

“That’s another really nice thing about being home, everyone who is from Donegal knows that Donegal people are probably the soundest. It’s good to be back in that community and environment.”

FVCK CANCER has collaborated with big names such as Converse, it’s been featured on GQ magazine and countless papers, but the Nasty Gal collaborations brings an added sense of purpose to Luke’s work.

This achievement is for Amelia, he says.

Prices for Nasty Gal X FVCK CANCER start from €10 and are available in sizes XS – XL available on Nasty Gal now: www.nastygal.com