Summer is the season of outdoor concerts. It’s a great way to enjoy music, but excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause skin damage. Protect yourself from the sun with style!
Our friend Evetta Petty, the owner of Harlem Heaven’s Hats, puts pizzazz into sun protection with a unique collection of spray-painted sun hats featuring brightly colored fruits are fun, fun, fun!
By the way, Evetta Petty is off to the races—the UK’s Royal Ascot, one of the most famous in the world. She is the only American milliner represented at Ascot this year, and she’s the first Black milliner ever to have a hat selected for the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective. Twelve milliners were chosen from all over the world. Her ‘Blue Note’ hat is simply FABULOUS!
Most skin cancers are preventable. Proactive approaches to sun protection are essential. Wearing protective clothing, seeking shade, and avoiding indoor tanning are great ways to have fun and protect yourself from the sun.
The American Academy of Dermatology suggests using at least an SPF 30, but higher is better. It is important to reapply every two hours, especially if out in the sun or in the water.
Evetta Petty, the owner and designer of New York City’s Harlem’s Heaven Hats, shares how she stays on track with type 2 diabetes while running a successful small fashion business.
She is known for her big and bold hat pins, and her hats have humor, whimsy, rhythm, and fantasy. Evetta’s motto is, “I’ll make a hat out of anything.” Her hats have captured worldwide attention and have been worn to the Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot in England.
Evetta designs an extensive line of hats and accessories. She travels to cities like Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, and New Delhi, looking for unusual textiles to create a more global headwear experience.
Her hats have been worn by many celebrities such as Patti LaBelle and Star Jones, and featured on TV shows like Anderson Cooper Live and The View. She has created hats for movies, fashion magazine covers, and editorials such as Essence, Jet, and Italian Vogue, it, Mujer Unica, Vibe, Fashion Affair, and The New York Times.
Get a sneak peek at Evetta Petty’s 30th Year Retrospective Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week and hear how she’s living with type 2 diabetes in style in this video.
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) provides leading designers worldwide with an unrivaled global platform to showcase their collections bi-annually every February and September.
For several years, Harlem’s Heaven and Divabetic partnered on a successful faith-based diabetes outreach program, Hat Boxing. Participants enjoyed a Diva Hat Fashion Show, Guest Speakers and a Hat Boxing Decorating Contest. Competitors entered their decorated hat boxes with messages about diabetes and diabetes self-care to win a crown from Harlem’s Heaven Hat.
Help Us Light the Way During National Diabetes Awareness Month (November)
Approximately 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Did you know that over 80% don’t know they have it? Prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Join Divabetic’s Blue Candle initiative and encourage your friends, co-workers, and family members to be screened for pre-diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a quick, easy online Pre-Diabetes risk test.
Be by their side when they check, and share your successes and struggles of living with diabetes so they can see that living well with diabetes is possible.
Coming Soon! Divabetic’s first e-book, Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love and Intimacy with Diabetes, by co-authors Dr. Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, RDN, CDCES, FAND, and Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, available on Kindle.
