Fashionista Mental Health: 10 Years After Alexander McQueen's Death
According to Vogue Business, ten years ago, Designer Lee Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) took his own life at the age of 40, in his apartment in Mayfair, London. It was the famous suicide in the fashion world. But the conditions that lead to it – acute anxiety, major depression, and addictions caused by extreme stress, for example – are no longer unfamiliar to the luxury fashion community. Other famous fashion designers, especially John Galliano, who was featured alongside McQueen in my book, Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano , have endured the burnout and addiction problems due to the harsh working conditions and the heavy nature of the work.
In the years since McQueen's death and Galliano's incident, some in the industry thought their case would serve as a wake-up call for the executive departments of major brands. The lesson to be learned is this: the mental health of artistic talents should take precedence over deadlines and quarterly results.
The schedule for new collections has skyrocketed with the explosion of social media (McQueen died the same year Instagram launched, before it had any weight in the fashion industry) and product launches. week cycle has become the norm, demanding more from the designer and their team. In addition, the direct-to-consumer tools that brands have adopted over the past few years, such as YouTube videos and podcasts, also require creative involvement, and it has " exploit designers more than ever,” said Robert Burke, of Robert Burke Associates, a luxury retail consulting firm in New York.
Furthermore, "the designer's workflow and instability are even worse than 10 years ago," points out a former magazine editor. Burke concurs: "The measure of your talent is your final collection, and the frequency of those collections has been pushed to a new level." The constant threat of dismissal weighs heavily on employees.
The “hustle culture,” hyped and made appealing by the tech industry, is nothing new. The business community, more or less, has begun discussions about burnout and enacted policies that promote mental health. In fashion, however, these issues are unclear and not yet a priority, sources familiar with the matter said. "Honestly, I haven't seen much change" in the decade since McQueen's death, a leading fashion recruitment consultant in Paris revealed, on condition of anonymity.
As proof, a recruitment consultant recounted stories of harsh working conditions at a major Parisian luxury brand in the years following McQueen's death. The constant pressure and unusual demands of the creative director have resulted in numerous employees leaving and being hospitalized. No one from the company talked to the designer or at least set limits, the person said.
A handful of companies – Stella McCartney in London, Lululemon in Vancouver and Tommy Hilfiger in Amsterdam – offer workplace wellness-related benefits, such as free lunches and yoga classes . But for most fashion companies big (and small), the recruitment consultant says, “a real perk is offering a discounted gym membership.” In addition, the employee wellness program oriented by the fashion company "is still not a priority," the person added.
Little by little, however, some large companies are adopting better, if not more widespread, healthcare policies. For example, according to the 2018 LVMH Social Responsibility Report, “most fashion houses [or brands] have some sort of psychological helpline.”
Examples of initiatives implemented at 75 of the group's brands (though no specific initiatives are specified) include: “Expert-led wellness and peace of mind training guided relaxation therapy”, “workplace wellness and prevention training led by an ergonomics specialist or physiotherapist”, and “safe lunch related seminars”. monthly birth”.
Kering reports on its website that as of January 1 of this year, the group is offering 14 weeks of paid leave to parents with new babies worldwide. However, the company did not respond to queries about workplace mental health.
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