“Fashion should be a form of escapism, not a form of imprisonment.” - Alexander McQueen

By Maya Davila

The fashion design industry is no stranger to the ‘tortured artist’ trope. This has been a long-lasting reality curtained behind the glamorization of toil. 

But who is to blame for not prioritizing the minds of artistic talent over deadlines and results?

There is a sense of addiction and self-destruction that is glorified in creative industries. It starts when students arrive at university, eager to further indulge in the craft that they have craved their whole life. Year after year, the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) continues to rank as one of the best universities in the world, further solidifying each generation’s interest in fashion, as well as their drive to perform.

However, these young creatives are often unaware of the grueling demands that FIT drills into certain programs, especially within fashion design. In general, the fashion industry is built upon a fast-paced, competitive, and high-stakes environment—which some individuals can rise above, while others remain consumed by the toxicity.

Take it from Gabriella Mansour, 20, a 5th-semester student studying fashion design at FIT. “It was overwhelming and stressful at first, everyone tried to make the impression that ‘I belong here’ which led me to have imposter syndrome. It’s also [overwhelming] just getting used to your environment and the people around you,” she expresses.

The combination of high pressure, expectations, and an impractical, unrealistic workload can be a recipe for destruction. From the classroom to the boardroom, this relentless seasonal cycle creates a pressure cooker of an environment of never-ending projects, creative demands, unforgiving deadlines, and a non-stop, ‘put your work first’ mentality. 

The reputation the fashion world has as a glamorous industry makes for a highly competitive workplace. This leads many designers to develop or sink further into their mental health disorders, which in some cases can result in coping through drug and alcohol usage. As mentioned in Time Magazine in 2015, individuals who work more than 48 hours a week are more likely to drink at dangerous levels than their counterparts who work fewer hours. According to the Mental Health Foundation, employees in creative careers, like fashion, are 25% more likely to experience and develop mental health disorders. Models, designers, and other professionals in the fashion industry are usually subjected to long hours and high stress to meet demanding deadlines.

The notion that ‘good art comes from suffering’, how true is it? The myth of the tortured, battered artist isn’t dead. Is chaos, uncertainty, and trauma what leads creatives to produce their best work?

“I am harsh on myself when I can’t produce something,” Mansour says. “It is harmful for a good two weeks, like ‘Why can you just get this [collection] out?’ But dealing with actual burnout when you can’t even think of anything and you force yourself into making some sort of creation that you end up not liking and tweaking it later when it’s too late…it’s about meeting deadlines and pleasing people.”

In a glamorized world, full of perfection at face value, mental health is often like the fabric scraps that remain behind on the production floor. These damaging lifestyles are seen as the norm, and those who do not fall victim to an overwhelming presence of ‘hustle culture’ are seen as ‘lazy’ or ‘not hardworking enough’.

There is a suggestion that balance leads to boredom, that a true ‘artist’ is someone who accepts their circumstances, whether good or bad, instead of fighting them. As undoubtedly documented in the fashion industry, our history is ubiquitous with artists who faced tremendous hardship in their lives and have been able to transform such pain into beauty.

As the saying goes, one day you’re in and the next, you’re out. The purest purpose of the fashion industry is to create, and once you stop creating, you’re forgotten. It is a longstanding battle for designers to continue building a reputation, even if it means sacrificing their well-being. The rise-and-grind ‘hustle culture’ feeds on the eagerness of designers to please…after all, you are only as good as your last collection. 

Creativity and mental illness have long been associated with one another. From Kate Spade’s shocking death in 2018 to Alexander McQueen’s suicide in 2010, losing the battle with mental health is a tragic, recurring scene among fashion designers.

Despite many controversies during his reign in the fashion world, to this day, many revere Alexander McQueen as one of the greatest creative visionaries ever to grace the industry. His influence is still felt today, despite passing over a decade ago. How can a brilliant mind succumb to such a dark tragedy? 

According to the Mirror UK, as stated in an article days following McQueen’s death, the Westminster Coroner’s Court ruled McQueen’s death as a suicide. Dr. Paul Knapman stated that the designer had, “...killed himself while the balance of his mind was disturbed. It seems that he had a history of self-harm and, no doubt fuelled by cocaine, he resorted to desperate measures to end his life. It's such a pity for a man who, from a modest start, climbed to the top of his profession only to die in such tragedy.”

It was fashion’s most notable, high-profile suicide. However, thanks to the rigorous working conditions and demands to constantly outperform, what led to McQueen’s death was no surprise to those working in the industry. Severe depression, anxiety, and addiction all piled on top of extreme stress is something that is drilled into creatives from the day they step foot in a fashion school. 

How many tragedies must occur before people in fashion address the lifestyle that the industry perpetuates? This extends beyond the household names we are familiar with, it is also at the university level. It is among our peers, our friends, and those who sit next to us in class…the Fashion Institute of Technology pushes for the constant demand of working and creating at the expense of our humanity and ability to find a work-life balance. Many are outspoken about the unrealistic standards set for young creatives, but many others suffer in silence, afraid to speak up for themselves at the risk of being criticized or seen as weak.

“My art is healing and therapeutic, but also stressful,” Mansour says with a laugh. “I feel like the need and the constant pressure to be perfect is emphasized in an environment like FIT. I know it’s not just me…everyone is just constantly comparing themselves to someone who is doing better.”

There is light within the darkness. For every tortured artist, there is an equally happy one. Someone who has taken the bittersweetness of life and has translated bliss into a visual beauty.

Perhaps the opposite is true, perhaps this suffering comes from creating the art itself. Art is a reflection, a narrative of humanity. It is essential to equally weigh what motivates us, and what anguishes us. Pain and joy are unavoidably equal measures of the human experience, one does not exist without the other. You cannot solely seek out one singular emotion in hopes of creating better work. It is not the fate of every creative to succumb to the hands of fashion, we are capable of rising above it.