Raleigh entrepreneur’s new clothing line uses cheeky slogans to promote colonoscopies
A Raleigh entrepreneur’s new nonprofit apparel company aims to promote colonoscopies with a mantra, “A great ass is a terrible thing to waste.”
The brand, Worldclass, is a collaboration between Brooks Bell — the founder of consulting firm Brooks Bell, Raleigh Founded and Lead from Behind — and Los Angeles-based stylist Sarah Beran.
Both women were diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer in their 30s, when they were otherwise healthy, according to a press release announcing the brand.
Now in remission, their new label, which launched Tuesday, Dec. 3, helps raise awareness of colonoscopies and their importance to preventing colorectal cancer.
“We came here to have fun, talk about ass and save some lives — and what better way to do all that than through fashion?” Bell said in the press release.
Worldclass proceeds benefit UNC Lineberger
Net profits from each Worldclass sale — of T-shirts, hoodies, socks, hats and bags — will be donated to a fund that increases access to colonoscopies in underinsured communities.
Worldclass is partnering with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, providing funds to help pay for colonoscopies, support colonoscopy prep and help patients get to their appointments.
Death rates from colorectal cancer in people under 55 have been increasing since the mid-2000s, while the death rate has been dropping in older adults for decades, according to the American Cancer Society.
However, regular colorectal cancer screening makes a big difference. Screening can help find colorectal polyps early, so doctors can remove them before they develop into cancer. But according to the American Cancer Society, about one in three people in the United States who should get tested for colorectal cancer have never been screened.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk of colorectal cancer begin regular screening at age 45.
A ‘colonoscopy enthusiast’
Worldclass is Bell’s latest endeavor as an advocate for colon cancer awareness.
The first two words under her name on her LinkedIn page are “colonoscopy enthusiast” — a descriptor also featured on some Worldclass merchandise.
Her life advice, as posted on her Instagram profile, is to “get a dog, a vegetable garden, and a colonoscopy.”
When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, she stepped down as CEO of her company, which then launched the 50 Colonoscopies Under 50 campaign to encourage young people to get screened for colorectal cancer and reduce stigma around it, The News & Observer reported at the time.
She also wrote about her cancer diagnosis and treatment in an essay on Today.
Bell, who is married to fellow Duke University alumnus and entrepreneur Jesse Lipson, co-founded Lead from Behind in 2022 with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Lead from Behind is dedicated to promoting screening as a way to prevent colon cancer and in 2022 released a video that showed Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds visiting clinics to get colonoscopies.
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 9:00 AM.
