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Losing My Mind To Fashion
Words Annabel Gold
In the fashion industry, where the idea of ‘losing your mind’ is common, Wellbeing Editor Annabel Gold talks mindfulness and how to recall your mind.
The term ‘losing my mind’ suggests that there is no control over the mind in that moment which seems to be the case for many people when being overwhelmed mentally.
Some of fashion's greatest minds have experienced mental health issues. In the last few decades, some of the most influential fashion designers have died by suicide.
Alexander McQueen, L’wren Scott, Kate Spade, and more recently Josephus Thimister are notable designers who ended their lives at the peak of their creative career.
There are many contributing factors that lead to an individual committing suicide, however there seems to be an outcry within the creative industry which needs more attention and awareness.
In the Netflix documentary on the british designer, Alexander McQueen, we see how possible it is for an ordinary young man with a genius creative mind to be heavily overwhelmed and somewhat swayed by the demand and urging force to perform. His collections were heavily & harshly criticised for being so beautifully different and controversial. At his prime, he provoked the minds of everyone and didn’t care. The documentary showed that at some point in his career he lost himself, more money came but his appearance changed and he turned to drugs as a way to deal with the pressure.
Unfortunately, McQueen seemed extremely fragile and mentally weak for the jungle industry of fashion. His passion wasn’t driven by fame or money, he wanted to be normal, it was too late to be just normal anymore, his creativity led him to the stage of the world. In another case, we see that Kate Spade suffered from depression & anxiety for many years. Although she was actively seeking help and working closely with doctors for treatment, she still committed suicide.
Creative director of Balmain, Oliver Rousteing shared a part of his creative journey on netflix in the docufilm ‘Wonder boy”. Rousteing presented his reality which seems like an emotional rollercoaster. Although we saw the busyness of showcasing his designs and the stress of fashion shows, it was much more interesting to see his private struggles of searching for his biological parents. We got to see the side of him intensely breaking down while hearing that his mother had him at 15 years. A lot of people around fashion suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attacks - in the midst of losing who you are, so much darkness can rise. However, there are world changing designers who have continually climbed up in the industry and are still very much grounded and strong. Tom Ford, mentions in an interview, how tough the fashion business is and that you have to be very strong to remain in it. It is no surprise that he understands the pressure of the industry very well.
Last year, Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, cancelled several appearances and shows taking a few months off his hectic schedule to better his physical and mental health and this year he seemed to have returned with an even more solid sense of the leadership position. Who said you can’t take a necessary break?
On the flipside, it is important to also understand that the majority of creatives have abstract and sometimes wild minds, which is absolutely necessary for their design, collections and concepts. It is almost as if, it takes losing your mind to an extent to be able to create such outstanding collections for the fashion industry.
McQueen is a great example of a creative that utilised all the different and many times dark emotions that he was experiencing and put it into his work. But the issue is that the ‘losing of mind’ was uncontrollable, so it is possible to intentionally ‘Lose my mind’ and still be in control.
Stay True ~ Be Real
It can be so difficult being real in a fake world, you don't have to be famous to be superficial. But once you get to the stage of fame and have all eyes on your every move and decision, it would be more difficult to express your true-self.
Dealing with and managing the pressure as a creative - dealing with the force and urges that comes from the fashion industry - it can be easy to lose touch of who you are in such an intense and demanding industry - before you know it, you as the designer have to change who you are to fit into a system that you intended to change and bring a difference in. The question is: Are you willing to be transparent with yourself and the rest of the world despite the criticism and scrutiny that comes with it?
In psychology, Restricted self-expression is suggested to be one of the many predictors of depression. The ability to express one’s emotions, thoughts and feelings is therapeutic and contributes to enhancing mind wellbeing. As a creative, there's always some sort of expression but there has to be a consistency in expressing your true self at every moment, whether the true self is negative, controversial or weird, you have a right and responsibility to express it. Overcoming any mind struggles starts with the ability to share those struggles with someone other than yourself.
Mindfulness with YOU
In such a hectic, fast-paced industry where there is constant noise about trends and seasons and how to keep up, it is important to practice moments where you can get silent on the inside and strengthen inner peace.
Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment. Theorized benefits of mindfulness include self-control, enhanced flexibility, equanimity, improved concentration and mental clarity, emotional intelligence and the ability to relate to others and one's self with kindness, acceptance and compassion. This type of meditation has been useful in managing Anxiety, stress and depression.
How to Practice Mindfulness:
Take a seat. Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.
Set a time limit. If you're just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as 5 or 10 minutes.
Notice your body.
Feel your breath.
Notice when your mind has wandered.
Be kind to your wandering mind.
For anyone pursuing fashion and wanting to get into that industry. Get into the time of process, Learn and understand what it takes mentally and emotionally to invest yourself there. Growing, maturing and building the capacity for pressure and fame should always be a priority.