Fashion Fights Arthritis ’17 comes to San Francisco Oct. 20

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco-based fashion designer Yuka Uehara will lead the Arthritis Foundation’s 15^th Annual Fashion Fights Arthritis Friday, October 20, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

The Arthritis Foundation’s Fashion Fights Arthritis is a community-driven fundraiser and a fun, lighthearted way of talking about the seriousness of arthritis – the nation’s leading cause of disability.

More than 50 million adults and 300,000 kids in the U.S. have arthritis, including 5.9 million adults in California alone. The disease costs the U.S. economy $128 billion annually and limits activity more than heart disease, cancer or diabetes.

This year’s event will feature a thrilling runway show featuring Yuka Uehara’s Tokyo Gamine Haute Couture line, and will offer a champagne reception, silent auction, luncheon and a live auction.

All proceeds support the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to conquer and cure arthritis.

Tickets are now on sale online at www.arthritis.org/FashionFightsArthritis  or call 415-356-5484 for more information.

Yuka Uehara is a Japanese-born, San Francisco-based fashion designer. Originally a medical student, Uehara began working in design when her father, filmmaker Ryuji Fukuyama, hired her to work in the costume department of his productions.

She has been working in fashion ever since, teaching herself both design and craft. Film and storytelling still informs her creative practice as she is a firm believer in the relationship between costume and character.

“Fashion sends a message about who you are and where you come from.” It is for that reason that Uehara has a close bond with her clients, making items that work in harmony with their personas, strengthen their narratives. “Every woman is the protagonist of her own story,” Uehara exclaims, “Fashion is there to encourage that.”