From Survival to Style: Jeron Lothian’s Luxury Brand Supporting and Styling Breast Cancer Survivors
Image Credit: Jeron Lothian
When Jeron Lothian’s cousin rang the bell after her final round of chemotherapy, he felt something stir inside him that he hadn’t felt before.
The whirlwind of emotions from his cousin’s long battle prompted him to search for something worthy of the moment, an object that carried the story of survival, not just a trinket or slogan.
What he found were mass-produced awareness items, but there was a surprising absence: no store that celebrated survivors with the care and craftsmanship of high fashion. That absence and the lack of diversity prompted him to create his own brand, iSurvived.
“The idea came from a place of responsibility,” Lothian said. “I’m not the kind of person who sits and does nothing. I felt [...] a responsibility to survivors everywhere to give them something that said, 'You’re not just a statistic; you’re a story worth celebrating.' It’s [...] my calling.”
The entrepreneur traces the idea back to his cousin’s quiet strength that lingered with him long after her recovery.
Image Credit: Jeron Lothian
“Even when she was scared, she carried herself with such grace,” he said. “She never complained. She just fought and she won. But what stayed with me was how little recognition survivors get after the battle ends. People celebrate the diagnosis, the treatment, but rarely the survival. That realization stayed with me.”
He began his journey with rough sketches, learning sourcing and manufacturing along the way.
“I’m a horrible sketcher,” the entrepreneur said. “But I wanted designs that could sit next to Louis Vuitton or Chanel, with a heartbeat behind them.”
Image Credit: Jeron Lothian
Despite his setbacks in perfecting his craft, he still partnered with a manufacturer who understood his patience and commitment.
“I can explain different styles I am looking at, and they are able to put pen to paper and develop exactly what I need,” Lothian said.
When he searched for a “breast cancer survivor store” and found nothing, Lothian said it broke his heart.
“In a world full of pink ribbons, no one had created a space that truly honored survivors. There were awareness products—not luxury, not emotion and not depth. I wanted to change that,” he explained.
The name for the luxury brand came easily, and it felt right in his spirit.
“It was the first thing that came to mind when I got the good news. It’s more than a name—it’s a declaration. Every time someone says iSurvived, they’re reclaiming their strength,” Lothian said.
Image Credit: Jeron Lothian
The brand creates a variety of well-crafted limited-edition totes, wallets and wristlets in vegan leather. Each product is paired with a designer or stylish handbag to hold a survivor’s story.
For Lothian, luxury means more than price. It means intention, quality and the permission to feel beautiful after a survivor has fiercely and courageously fought breast cancer.
Every design choice in Lothian’s brand was intentional. He chose vegan leather as the foundation for his products, a decision that reflects both his ethical values and commitment to quality. Because each piece is handmade with care and crafted from limited materials, production remains intentionally small and exclusive.
Each executive decision is aimed at dignity, not spectacle. Lothian rejects the idea that survivor goods should be novel.
Conviction often invites skepticism. Who will buy luxury survivor goods? Can a brand built on a medical story also be aspirational? Lothian answers those questions with the messages he receives: notes from survivors, unboxing videos and quiet words from women who say they finally feel seen. Those responses form the brand’s identity.
Image Credit: Jeron Lothian
Lothian kept the idea close when he started. Only his cousin Nichole, who survived breast cancer, his daughter and his social media manager knew.
“I don’t want to hear ‘it won’t work’ or ‘are you sure,’” he said. “All I need is belief and consistency.”
He oversees sourcing and manufacturing himself, working with a manufacturer he trusts.
“I haven’t told many people,” he said. “I want to protect the vision.”
For now, the focus is breast cancer survivors, but the long-term goal is wider.
“While I am starting with breast cancer, the long-term goal is to be the survivor store for all cancers,” he said.
Image Credit: Jeron Lothian
iSurvived asks visitors to register with an email address to gain access to the site and shop the collection.
The brand sits at a junction of commerce and care. Luxury helps the objects last. Intention gives them meaning. Survivors receive a product and, sometimes, a hinge back to feeling whole.
Lothian admits doubt. He said it has come more than once. Each survivor story he hears pushes that doubt aside. The mission becomes bigger than the nerves. That momentum shows in small ways: a product that sells out, a message from a buyer who posts a video, a friend who reaches out to say she finally feels beautiful.
For Lothian, the work is simple and steady: make beautiful objects, hold survivors’ stories with care, and let people say iSurvived and mean it.
