From the sublime to the ridiculous, the artistic to the kitschy, the tragic to the comic, Island fiber enthusiasts embraced an opportunity to be artful for a cause, turning a bra into a piece of (not necessarily wearable) art to support the fight against breast cancer.

This is the first year of the Artful Bra project, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer project. The 26 artists were given only two months to complete their entries, but the response was impressive.

The project was spearheaded by Debra Zeleznik, owner of the Rubber Stamp Plantation in Kakaako. She knew of a similar project in South Carolina and thought "Why not in Honolulu?" She and Jenny Floro of Ben Franklin in Market City Shopping Center contacted crafters, quilters and seamstresses, inviting them to create a bra for the cause.

For some, it was a cathartic act; for others, a lark.

Rumi Robertson of Kahaluu wove the paper contents of her mother's purse at the time of her death in an emotional piece called "More than the Sum of her Purse." Although her mother survived breast cancer, she succumbed to pancreatic cancer exactly a year ago. "I felt it was a nice way to keep her memory alive and to put it out there. It was an unusual way to memorialize her," Robertson said.

Lorena Garwood of Honolulu sewed colorful pastel buttons and bows on a cheerful bra, "Sunshine on My Shoulders," in memory of her friend Lisanne "Sun" Haspe.

The over-the-top "Mardi Bra," encrusted with crystals and embellished with a rainbow of feathers, is Cobey Kersting of Kalihi's way of celebrating her own survival of breast cancer. Kersting is also an employee of Ben Franklin in Market City.

Sally Pestana of Kaimukí crafted a "Boob Bag," embellishing it with a feather boa and enclosing a little book that tells the story of her friend Michelle, a single mother celebrating the first anniversary of completing her cancer treatment.

The Artful Bras will be auctioned at Pinktober tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe.