A Multiplatform Advantage that Supports and Promotes the Positive Mental Wellbeing. by Chelsea Kemp

A Multiplatform Advantage that Supports and Promotes the Positive Mental Wellbeing for Early Career Professionals in the Fashion Industry. CHELSEA KEMP, BA, MA SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY

CONTENTS Abstract - 4 Introduction - 4 An Obvious Problem, An Oblivious Industry - 5 • • • •

The Problem - 7 The Link Between Creativity and Mental Health - 8 Why Fashion? - 9 Companies and Wellbeing - 15

The Research - 19 • • • •

Interviewing Student Support - 20 The Survey and Polls - 21 Colour Psychology - 23 Trends - 24

NURV – The Creation - 27 • • •

Branding and Colour - 27 Content - 28 Outcomes - 32

Conclusion – A Survival Guide to the Fashion Industry – 33 Works Cited – 34 Figures – 35 Image Accreditation - 35 Appendix - 37

Artist Sarah Bahbah.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this report was to explore the problem within the fashion industry regarding mental health and wellbeing, and to also analyse why there is this resounding issue. To explore this topic, primary data and secondary data were collected from numerous sources such as academic institutes, social media platforms, anonymous feedback, mental health organisations etc. This included qualitative research, quantitative research, surveys, interviews and participant submissions. Due to the vulnerability of the subject matter and the confidentiality of certain data, ethics forms and participant consent forms had to be considered and signed off by two parties beforehand. It becomes clear that a positive service that enables individuals to sustain their mental wellbeing can be created in response to the mental wellbeing impasse of the fashion industry. There is recognition that this isn’t an imminent solution but a reinforcement of sustaining healthy mental wellbeing whilst being involved within the industry. Keywords: sustainment, mental health and ethics, see appendix section one for definitions.

INTRODUCTION Up to 300,000 people a year were reported to lose their jobs or chose to become unemployed due to their long-term mental health problems according to a BBC article in 2017 (Silver, 2017). Within this same article it stated that employees were even encouraged to apply for other jobs once management discovered their illness. Although the article doesn’t specifically apply to any specific industry, there has been numerous problems surrounding employee’s mental health within the fashion industry. Mental health issues are affecting graduate interns to experienced designers and it is a problem that doesn’t seem to be addressed or taken as seriously as it would be in other industries. Business of Fashion commented that fashion had “lagged behind” whilst other businesses target mental wellbeing within the workplace and have already had effective results (Pike, 2016). For this project the areas of focus are Depression and Anxiety, with the outcome challenging current industry problems and being created as an ongoing solution. The outcome will be a supplement magazine inspired by the American Anxy magazine and include varied content around both fashion and mental wellbeing. The magazine content would be directly aimed at people early within their fashion industry careers who may be struggling with their mental health. The aim of the magazine is to create a community feeling and the presence will be created as if there was a collaboration with Mental Health Awareness Week which brands could then support. Inside, there would be interviews with academic institutes, brands and other willing participants about their own opinions, experiences and mental health. Submissions are welcomed so that others can get involved and display artwork related to the cause as well as open letters amongst the content, which could even lead to brand advertising and support.

AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM, AN OBLIVIOUS

INDUSTRYâ&#x20AC;&#x192;

THE PROBLEM “As a business, [fashion] demands way, way more hours from its workers than they are contracted to do. It expects 24-hour interest and availability,” says Caryn Franklin (Pike, 2016). Identifying the problem within the fashion industry starts with looking at how it is perceived as not just a career. There is a theory that a career within the fashion industry becomes not only a career but a lifestyle choice. In comparison to other business sector careers which run on a Monday to Friday basis, employees have the option to leave their work behind in the office. Whereas within the fashion industry, not only could the employees be in the studio working on seasons ahead, they could also have press events, catwalk shows and general circulating to do in the evenings. Considered a glamourous lifestyle, Pressures of any occupation can be overwhelming as not to discredit any other industry but there is a key difference between them. Creative industries i.e. fashion and other industries such as the financial industry have a striking difference which revolves around company training. Large and smaller companies are aware of the pressures of the job therefore catering to this by ensuring their employees are trained on how to deal and manage these pressures appropriately. Whereas in the fashion industry, employees and interns aren’t taught how to manage time, pressures and workload and are instead taught that they’re not cut out for industry if they can’t handle it. It seems as if in such a busy industry, companies are lagging behind on creating schemes and initiatives for their workers to enable them to be professionally stronger (Pike, 2016). The wellbeing problem can be bad for business when people are struggling silently, and when people within the creative industry are 25% more likely to experience mental illness (Stansfield, 2016), brands can suffer. Mental health in employees can result in lack of concentration, negative attitudes, quality of work falling and in more serious circumstances, loss of job. Some of the statistics show that happy employees are 12% more productive, which in a fast-paced industry such as fashion, productivity is important. The World Health Organisation reported that if company mental health policies weren’t improved then by 2030 the world could lose around 12 billion workdays due to depression and anxiety (Wright, 2018). 12 billion is a huge figure, especially if the fashion industry is 25% more likely to contribute to those mental health day figures.

THE LINK BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND MENTAL HEALTH Research has been conducted about the link between creativity and mental wellbeing over a number of recent years. It is important to document that this research is not fashion industry specific as the data found was through ‘creatives’ and ‘creative writers’ as opposed to the relevant discipline. This was due to the apparent difficulty of finding physically recorded experiments linking fashion and mental illness; articles and interviews were easier to come across for the reinforcement of that link. One of the findings is that there is a well-documented link between people in the creative field who demonstrate creative behaviour and mood disorders. Amongst the numerous studies described within the referenced research paper (Joormann, Khan, & Verhaeghen, 2005), there was a clear connection between the theory that creatives suffer with mood disorders i.e. depression, more so than other fields. One of the earliest studies was in 1987 and focused on creative writing only, the 1995 study discovered that there was a lifetime prevalence of a depression rate of 50% for people working in creative arts such as fashion. To back up the data, a final path model was diagrammed which displayed the correlation between depressed mood and creative behaviour, which appears to be due to the link with self-reflection (see final model).

Figure 1 - “Final best-fitting path model (LISREL) to explain the relationships between the depression variables, self-reflective rumination, creative interests, and creative behaviour. 2(17, N99)14.61, p .62, RMSEA (root-mean-square error of approximation.” (Joormann, Khan, & Verhaeghen, 2005)

WHY FASHION?

“The

entire

fashion industry is

not just the

flawed,

education system.” (Davidson, 2018)

Pyer Moss 2016 Menswear, (Wilson, 2016).

There is an understanding that the fashion industry is predominantly known as being an ever-growing empire. It has the ability to touch everyone, from the employees in retail to the shoppers on the high street. With designers being requested to work more seasons ahead and create more collections, the pressure is on and since around 2015 fast fashion has been asked to slow down (Banham, 2017). High pressure environments and long hours can take a toll on mental wellbeing, according to the mental health charity Mind (Pike, 2016). Blurring the lines between work and lifestyle, it’s not surprising that the high stress, long hours and pressure can ruin the creativity, A quote that identifies these issues is - “Our demand for novelty is killing designers and the planet.” In 2016 Dazed ran a feature in line with mental health awareness week which discussed the topic of mental health amongst fashion industry workers. The job roles ranged from a designer, a PR, a writer, a photographer, a stylist and two models. Some of the questions asked; ‘whether the individuals had experienced a mental health issue whilst working in fashion?’, ‘do they think it’s common in fashion and why?’ and ‘what is it about fashion that exacerbates mental health issues?’ (Stansfield, 2016). One of the most interesting responses was from the designer who explained that they had experienced anxiety and depression for most of their adult life and that it had become “a part of me, how I work and what I do”.

WHY FASHION? Such ‘acceptance’ from the designer suggests that in the fashion industry this is what is to be expected. Rather than challenging how the industry works in response to creatives developing these illnesses, they identify the problems and accept them but do nothing to suggest coping methods to be put in place by their companies or the industry. In a response to whether it was common within the fashion industry, a photographer reiterated that the stress of “burning the candles from both sides” plays a huge part, the considered lifestyle with work and parties, plus financial stress can become overwhelming (Stansfield, 2016). Evaluating the information already, shows that the fashion industry can exacerbate these mental health illnesses. The fast paced, high-pressurised environment is highly criticised by the same individuals within Dazed (who were mentioned in the previous two paragraphs). Pressure can be beneficial given the right amount but too much of it can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle commented a photographer who stated how easy it can be to burn out (Stansfield, 2016). Employees aren’t the only ones struggling, with numerous issues cropping up for fashion students that questioned whether fashion schools were too tough on their pupils. Identifying why fashion schools and universities are so tough can relate back to teaching preparation for a tough industry. The ideal of survival within fashion is embedded within students from the beginning of their careers, with academic institutes assisting the unhealthy notion that individuals have to survive within industry. Student, Sophie Chittok, stated that the pressure “squashes their capability to think creatively”. Another student, @willemienblusse, stated that they had to “perform all the time” with the constant pressure, they even went as far to say “I nearly lost my life in third year” (Davidson, 2018). Although these responses may seem more drastic or elaborated, this can be the harsh reality of the industry, if change and awareness is not catered for.

Digital Emotions, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You are not supposed to understand thisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, (Mindful Fashion, 2018).

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If the industry was fixed, to be trained to accept th emotionally, physically, a broken.” @crialagna (Davidson, 2018).

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COMPANIES AND WELLBEING Some companies put in place wellbeing schemes which are there to support their employees who may be struggling or end up struggling mentally and physically. The fashion industry displays a lack of action towards implementing company wellbeing schemes in comparison to other industries. A wellbeing scheme competitor analysis (which can be seen on blog) was created in order to analyse different companies from varying industries with a description of their pros and cons of wellbeing. Companies that were analysed from other industries were Google, Magenta Associates PR, Propellernet Digital Marketing and Douglas Scott Legal Recruitment (Greig, 2017). Two of the companies could relate to the fashion industry but were not exclusively fashion i.e. PR and Digital Marketing. The analysis looked at what these companies’ mission was with their wellbeing schemes and what was offered in services to employees alongside a description of the culture behind it. Generally, the mission from each company highlighted how the environment needed to be pleasant and how in the workplace stress is natural, just the way it’s handled that needs practice. Foung from Google said (Porter, 2015) “In the workplace, you can’t remove stress from life, all you can do is react better to stressful events”. Google is known for basing everything off data (Bulygo, 2018 ), their whole culture purpose is based around making sure their employees are happy. The list of services they offer their employees seem endless, such as meditation and mindfulness classes, day retreats, nap pods, a play area environment and organic food served all day. The company has a whopping 88,110 full time employees as recorded in 2017 (Statistica, 2018), so a wealthy number of resources is to be expected. Although the fashion industry has numerous employees but lacks in practical resources and schemes that cater towards employee wellbeing. Other companies such as Propellernet Digital Marketing have a dedicated people manager. They offer bi-weekly check ins alongside 5% of their profits going into a health and wellbeing fund, the usage of which is determined by staff (Greig, 2017).

A recent article (Contributor, 2018) explained how the fashion industry was preparing for wellness in the workplace. One of the biggest influencers of this predicted progression from 2018 onwards was Levi Strauss & Co who decided to expand their worker wellbeing programme in 2016 (Smith, 2016). The jean companies aim was to reach around 140,000 workers by 2020 and also opened the initiative up to partner with other brands and retailers so that more workers could benefit. One of the more interesting points of the scheme stated that it involved a survey process which enabled the brand to cater towards the needs of different workers in different countries. This process is beneficial to a variety of people as the source; Levi Strauss & Co is understanding the core needs of individuals. Results spoke for themselves with the Levi Strauss wellbeing programme (Smith, 2016) with 90% of workers in Haiti who participated in financial literacy training felt more positive and had improved opinions. Another result was that 87% of women returned after maternity leave in Bangladesh which had improved from the 65% (before the programme figure). Although it is difficult to find out about fashion companies wellbeing schemes, some other brands known for their employee benefits are Burberry. As one example, with a People Programme that launched in 2016 which looks to set various initiatives which reward their employees (Burberry, 2018).

Why are wellbeing schemes needed in the workplace? Wellbeing schemes respond to the needs of the workers whether those needs be mental, physical or emotional. Studies have been conducted which look at how wellbeing can affect a workplace when employees suffer from depression and anxiety problems, and how their workplace can make these conditions worse (Graveling RA, 2008). From the referenced paper, two areas received positive feedback; exercise and training to cope with stress, although results can be difficult to determine from the studies in 2008. From a more recent study, there are numerous masses of research which reiterate wellbeing in the workplace benefits (Aldana, 2018). This article by Aldana goes on to explain seven reasons as to why it is important to offer employee wellbeing. Seven reasons by Dr Aldana go on to clarify the importance of offering employee wellbeing which state that the schemes improve employee health behaviours and enable them to adapt healthy behaviour (Aldana, 2018). Big factors are that wellbeing schemes can improve productivity, reduce absentness and sustain employee moral which in fast paced and stressful industries such as fashion, would be increasingly helpful towards deadlines. Other areas to consider when looking at why wellness schemes are vital for employees, is to consider Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hierarchy of needs and what humans need. The higher needs within the hierarchy are where wellness fits which mentions areas such as confidence, respect, acceptance and morality as can be seen below. These needs if fulfilled mean that humansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives are rewarding and contented, and this is represented within the workplace also.

Figure 2 - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs diagram (Aldana, 2018).

RESEARCH As part of this project, conducting and collecting primary research was vital to gain other perspectives in person without relying on secondary sources. Some of the collective research methods used were surveys, polls and interviews which allowed anonymous responses to be gathered and analysed towards the project perspectives. The aim of this research was to back up the secondary research already discovered in response to why the specific choice of fashion and if there were issues relating to mental health within the fashion industry. Other areas that were put to question were in relation to the final outcome and peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own mental health terminology and language alongside calming graphic choices. As part of the project and the nature of the topic being vulnerable, extra care had to be taken when interviewing and gathering information. This involved completing ethics forms created via the university and getting these signed off by two academic bodies which would allow the research to continue. Another form that was taken and edited for the purpose of an interview was the participant consent form, which stated what the interview was about and how the data would be used. The participant was happy to sign and thus enabled the project to move forward ethically.

Fashion statistics can be hard to find especially since most articles or papers reiterate the same points i.e. that creatives are 25% more likely to experience a mental health issue. Although universities offer a varying support system for students, it is not advertised as clearly as it could be to reiterate this point of access for which creative students may require. After speaking with an employee of an academic institutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student support, the statistics from a recent year displayed how creative students sought out more support for anxiety and depression over academic issues.

Figure 3 - Bar chart diagram of student issues throughout each year.

The diagram displays a bar chart of the statistics that were inserted of each year group and then coordinated with the determining problems i.e. academic issues, anxiety and depression. From the chart it is obvious that the top issue from creative students is anxiety, then followed by depression and lastly academic issues. Second year seems to show the highest struggle amongst other academic years with third year showing a surprising decline in any support. Third year is notoriously known for being the most difficult and the lack of required support can be only assumed as too much workload and minimal time or that their coping methods have improved. Unfortunately, this would require a more in-depth study of this separate topic. Due to the anonymity of each student itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uncertain as to whether these issues were prominent before studying or not. With certainty it can be said that the chart proves that creatives including students struggle with anxiety and depression even from early impressions within the industry.

INTERVIEWING STUDENT SUPPORT

SURVEYS AND POLLS As part of the primary research for this project, surveys and polls became a clear and anonymous way to gain information. The primary use of the survey was to find out about mental wellbeing within the fashion industry and if companies that the respondents worked for, implemented wellbeing schemes or policies. At only seven questions long, the survey was designed to be quick and cover the main areas of interest for this project, as ultimately everything revolves back to the ‘research question’. Due to the nature of the survey and how the information would be used such as for this report, online blog and hypothetical magazine content, a disclaimer was created. The disclaimer states that the survey forms part of the MA research and that the data collected is all anonymous, also by partaking within the survey the participant is agreeing to the usage of their data for the project. The opening questions asked about the key areas of the research which related to anxiety and depression within the fashion industry workplace. Such as whether the participants thought their job or internship could leave them vulnerable to anxiety or depression or whether the participants had experienced anxiety or depression due to work pressures. All of the respondents answered yes to whether their job or internship could leave them vulnerable to anxiety/depression, and all but one answered yes to whether they had experienced anxiety/depression due to work pressures. Work pressures don’t have to revolve around workload although it is a popular factor, other factors can create an unpleasant work environment which results in pressure. The pressures on the survey included were workload, long hours, not fitting in, bullying and unhealthy lifestyle such as alcohol and drugs. Workload pressures was the top chosen answer with long hours and not fitting in tying as the next most popular response. Thus, proving that the high pace of the industry with its multiple deadlines is harming to certain employee’s wellbeing. When asked if the participants workplace had any wellbeing schemes in place, around 70% said no which reiterated the point of lacking employee wellbeing within the fashion industry. One of the most important questions became a text box answer question which could see the participants write down their thoughts. The question asked what the participants would like to see the fashion industry put in place to support wellbeing and saw varied responses. Support within the workplace such as mental health days, regular check ins and reducing the taboo around mental health were amongst the popular of answers. Other answers mentioned addressing bullying within the workplace, less work load, cap on hours and introducing more schemes to reduce anxiety and stress of deadlines.

Unfortunately, the responses to this survey were limited despite generously sharing on multiple social media platforms, posting on LinkedIn and emailing various academics and academic tutors. By the time of this report, the survey had gained only thirteen responses which was lower than the estimated target of thirty. Thirty responses would have been a good amount to analyse and gather results from but due to the lack of responses, assumptions had to be gathered based around the responses gained. Just over 60% of the respondents were aged between 22 and 25, whereas another 30% were 26 or above, displaying responses which could be assumed as early graduates or within their first industry job. Based on the responses gathered, it is clear that the fashion industry leaves employees feeling vulnerable to mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression which can result in unproductivity, unpleasant work environments and even cost due to sick days. It is also clear that there is a lack of support and wellbeing schemes or incentives within fashion industry workplaces which again can create an unhappy work environment and result in employees burning out and becoming unwell. Introducing these schemes can reduce the taboo based around mental health within the fashion industry, creating a happier and healthier work environment and also increase productivity amongst employees. Polls were created as a quicker anonymous way of finding out peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferences, whether that be preference of brand name or which graphics are most calming. These were created to assist with the brand and product progression through possible audiencesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; preferences. The polls were posted on social media and helped in discovering the brand name alongside which images are more calming for graphics, layouts and backgrounds within brand content. In comparison to the survey the smaller polls got more anonymous responses. This could be due to the nature of the survey and that it touches on a personal and vulnerable topic. Unfortunately, mental health still poses as a taboo, including within the fashion industry where it occurs as a resounding problem.

Figure 4 - Example of online poll.

COLOUR PSYCHOLOGY Due to the nature of the project including mental health awareness, colour plays a large role in creating mood responses. A magazine supplement that includes artwork, interviews and varying coping methods alongside information that is to help fashion workers struggling, needs the use of calming colours and graphics. There are two ways of considering the use of colour within this project, which are colours that affect mood and behaviour and colour usage within marketing and branding. Colour psychology usually relates to how colour affects mood, wellness and behaviour, alongside being popular in areas such as marketing, art and design. Colour psychology and meaning is also dependent on culture, what the Western countries may see a colour represent will differ from what the Eastern countries will see it represents. Colour being one of the more powerful forces to have effect on our lives, it has and still continues to be an important area of research within the field of psychology. One of the reasons psychologists research colours, is the effects it has on people, such as their perception, action and behaviour (Crozier, 1996). According to (Simmons, 2011) when people were asked the associations they made with certain colours and emotions they associated red with anger, blue with sadness and green with jealousy/envy. Colour psychology within branding and marketing can represent how the consumer sees the product/brand and whether they want to purchase. Due to the fact that colour is too personal to each individual and their experiences it is highly unlikely to be universally translated. There are however patterns that emerge within colour perceptions (Ciotti, 2018). A study titled ‘Impact of colour on marketing’ revealed that up to around 90% of judgements made about products can revolve around the colour of the product. Another study titled ‘Exciting red and competent blue’ revealed that purchasing intent is affected by colours due to how the brands personality is received through those colours (Ciotti, 2018). From these studies, colour is reiterated, for brands, as sincerely important in being easily recognised and attracted too by consumers. Reactions from consumers towards colour appropriateness is more important than a single colour within a brand palette, such as sportswear representing the emotions of energy and stimulation through their colour schemes. Creating a brand needs core dimensions, according to psychologist Jennifer Aaker (Aaker, 1997) there are 5 components to brand personality which are; sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness. It is important to remember the 5 dimensions to brand personality in order to create a successful and memorable brand. A more detailed explanation of each dimension can be given, such as sincerity releasing these types of emotions and reactions – down to earth, honest, wholesome and cheerful. Relating brand personality traits to consumers with the use of effective colour schemes should guarantee a relatable and recognised brand.

TRENDS Trends are a vital part of any research as they predict what is going to be popular before it is. To maintain that you are ‘on trend’ is to make sure that your brand doesn’t fail, the content is relevant with society and lifestyles alongside fitting that particular audience. A trend is described as a direction of change and development which could relate to numerous things such as products and lifestyles (Oxford Dictionairy, 2018). On a wider spectrum of insight for this project and audience, global trends revolving around colours for all genders were looked into also. In response to critique from academic tutors, it became apparent early on that there was a lack of trend research within this project. Using the information collected so far from other research and colour psychology, WGSN became the resort to research the most appropriate and interesting trends. As the outcome was set to be annually, the only logical response was to look for trends predicted for S/S19 which is when Mental Health Awareness Week is set. Due to the outcome response not being gender specific, the trend had to match both male and female predicted trend visions.

“We are entering an era of extreme optimisation, bridging gaps in mental and physical wellness.” (Team, 2017). The chosen predicted S/S19 trend was named In Touch, the vision for this trend was to create a connection with the consumer, or to be ‘in touch’ with the consumer (Team, 2017). In Touch in context refers to a world with loss of control and increased anxiety due to our 24/7 lifestyles. Reactions look towards the current and the future with the current being self-obsession and future hopefully resulting in acceptance and embrace of imperfections. The future reaction for S/S19 has been predicted to accept and embrace physical, spiritual and mental health which is where this trend starts to intertwine with the project.

WGSN Trend Forecast S/S Vision Pack In Touch.

Consumers play a large part within the vision of the trend due to them buying into the trend and reinforcing the predicted movement alongside creation. Big factors from the vision situate themselves within the context of consumers and the creative projects such as mental wealth, anti-wellness and mood makers. The reasoning behind this is that over 300 million people now suffer with depression (World Health Organisation, 2018) and action needs to be taken in order to prevent a rise, especially amongst suicide rates in men. In relation to the fashion industry, the statistics show that creatives are more likely to suffer from mental health and we can only assume they would make up a large portion of that 300 million. Mass influencers of the trend In Vision range from apps to books to campaigns. All of the influencers offer insight into how to counsel oneself, emotions, intimacy and consumer wellbeing. These mass influencers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t UK based, they are global influencers, one of which is from India named YourDOST which offers free counselling and wellness from 600 specialists in India. The trend lastly looks towards thought starters which asks from a perspective, what the trend means for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;businesses. This looks at four points which reiterate the strategies for the future and approaches from a business perspective, see appendix section two for further information. In the age of anxiety and depression, this predicted trend is fitting for both men and women in the Summer of 2019. The outcome for this project shall fit within aspects of the trend, and will be inspired from this through the vision, consumers, influencers and thought starters. Other influences for the outcome will be based around a combination of colour scheme trends from this trend and globally alongside matching with colour psychology.

NURV - THE CREATION Nurv was created through the research and understanding that there is a mental wellbeing impasse within the fashion industry. This impasse is linked with anxiety and depression and the lack of support, knowledge and conversation throughout industry and within companies themselves show a gap in the market. A response was created within a magazine supplement service that is aimed at the audience of early career professionals within fashion. The content is based around maintaining positive mental wellbeing and includes coping methods, alongside advice, interviews and artwork. This would hopefully build a community that aims to positively break the pattern and taboo within industry.

BRANDING AND COLOURS The product would be a magazine supplement with the brand name being Nurv Magazine. The logo would be the name in the brand colour schemes which would then flow throughout the whole layout. As for the name which derives from the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nerveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and is pronounced exactly the same, the term stands for an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steadiness and courage in a demanding situation (Oxford Dictionairy, 2018) i.e. a fashion industry job. The name needed to be punchy, youthful and straight to the point and this title embodies all of those traits. The brand itself represents a cause and creates a community in response to the mental health problems within the fashion industry; this issue more specifically looking at anxiety and depression. Looking towards the future if the brand were to grow, the product/service could span into the likes of being sponsored by fashion brands with collaborations. Other future possibilities are to create an online presence by having social media and a website in which more information could be found alongside past issues. Colour schemes for this followed in line with the chosen trend In Vision and also with colour psychology. The colour scheme included (amongst other backing colours) lilac, shades of blue, dark pink, mint and yellow. These colours were taken from Pantone and also represented the calming moods according to colour psychology, with lilac symbolising no stress, blue calmness and yellow happiness. The focal colours look towards the lilac and the blue which is why they were used for the logo and also due to the fact they symbolise the energy of calm in response to moods and psychology.

CONTENT Due to the magazine currently being a supplement to start, it would be situated within another fashion magazine which was imagined to be Dazed. The reason for choosing Dazed was that the layout of Dazed flowed similar to that of the inspiration; Anxy. Again, as originally thought, the supplement would be annual and coincide with the S/S issues of Dazed. This would allow the brand to follow a S/S trend and maintain the relevant look. Supplements are usually limited in pages in comparison to other magazines, with around 32 pages as a total inside. The content of the magazine would be situated around creatives and mental health. This means it could include varying content based around either topic or both topics in single articles, spreads or artwork. As the magazine supplement should give off a community feel, submissions for the magazine are welcomed which means readers and artists can submit their work for an issue. General content would go on to include interviews with academics, institutes, industry professionals and mental health charities, alongside including artwork, articles, photography, helplines, open letters and letters from the editor. As for the topic of the magazine as a whole, this would be specifically dedicated to one area of mental illness which would be line with Mental Health Awareness Weeks chosen area. All the content would then be catered towards that particular area, making sure information is accurate and helpful.

Anxy Magazine Article Example

Rob Crypt - ‘Becoming Static’

Tiffany Fishleigh Illustration

OUTCOMES Amongst this report, there is expected to be multiple outcomes that demonstrate the brand and product as a whole package. As part of the MA final project, the purpose of this report is to explain in more detail the project, research and process that has been undertaken throughout the last few months. One of the outcomes would be this report, other outcomes would include a vision pack, a banner, a mock-up of the magazine supplement, articles displayed on posters and an exhibition space. The vision pack is a small nine-page folder which is inspired by WGSN trend packages that display the predicted trend through innovative layouts and important information. Within the vision pack it highlights the context, current and future reactions from the context and moves onto the consumer. The consumer is considered like a story and described from a global perspective with facts, figures and a general description of the consumer for this brand for 2019. Next in the pack describes the mass influencers of the product and brand which ranges from apps to statistics to lifestyles. Moving onto the last section, the thought starters look at what â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nurvâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; means for the future of fashion in companies and industry. The mock-up magazine supplement is there to display the layout, colour schemes and graphics as if it were the final product except fitted with placement text, not descriptive. These outcomes will be displayed within the exhibition space thus giving the full effect of the brand and service. Similar to the aims of the vision pack, the mock-up and articles are there to describe and engage. Futuristically thinking, having sponsors for an annual magazine would be the ideal investment. Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week could bring more recognition towards the supplement, alongside brand sponsors.

Nurv Official Logo

CONCLUSION In conclusion this research has confirmed that creatives significantly struggle with mental health more so than the average worker, statistically they are 25% more likely to experience a mental illness (Stansfield, 2016). Whilst also confirming that there is a clear problem within the fashion industry and its lack of care towards mental illness, as well as this expectation to ‘survive’ which shouldn’t be the only perspective of viewing work within the industry. The original title of this project and report was ‘the survival guide to the fashion industry’ which would’ve displayed significant irony towards the unhealthy message that surviving in industry is acceptable. Surviving should be considered as not a way of healthily coping within an industry job, whereas the word should be replaced more appropriately with ‘managing or coping’ as this would promote self-care. Now titled something which dismisses the use of the word survival and brings fourth how far the development of this project has come. The title displays the project in a positive manner, which is how it aims to be perceived – Nurv is to be something that enables individuals to maintain their wellbeing and not be ashamed of their struggles. It is highly unlikely that a magazine supplement would be a full solution to all of the fashion industries mental wellbeing problems, but it is a step in the right direction. Recognition from other magazines of this issue have been prominent over the last few years but with minimal action or teaching, more of a reminder of the problem. In evaluation of the research, there is a gap in the market for this kind of product and it would be of demand for an era that is more mentally and physically aware of their problems. Colours and trends can be of great use from a marketing and emotive perspective, alongside considerations of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and where wellbeing is situated within individual’s needs. In summary, implementing wellbeing schemes, capping hours and removing the taboo around anxiety and depression within the industry would be ideal but an unlikely fast change. Although with a forward-thinking trend and vital information within the outcomes of this project, it is a step in the right direction for the future of fashion. It is possible to create a supplement magazine as part of a solution that would be in response to the consistent and continuous issues surrounding early career professionals in fashion.

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FIGURES Figure 1, Joormann, J., Khan, R., & Verhaeghen, P. (2005). Why We Sing the Blues: The Relation Between Self-Reflective Rumination, Mood, and Creativity. American Psychological Association . Figure 2, Aldana, D. S. (2018, January 10). 7 MOST IMPORTANT REASONS TO OFFER EMPLOYEE WELLBEING AT WORK. Retrieved from Well Steps: https://www.wellsteps.com/blog/2018/01/02/employee-wellbeing-at-work/ Figure 3, Kemp, Chelsea, Excel Bar Chart Diagram showcasing statistics based on an interview with student support 2018. Figure 4, Kemp, Chelsea, Social Media Poll Results 2018.

IMAGE ACCREDITATION Anxy. (2017, N/A N/A). The Boundaries Issue. Retrieved from AnxyMag: https://anxymag.com Bahbah, S. (n.d.). We're All Suffering . N/A . N/A, Los Angeles . Crypt, R. (n.d.). Becoming Static. N/A. N/A, N/A. Fishleigh, T. (n.d.). Adwoa Aboah . N/A. Sheffield University, Sheffield. Fishleigh, T. (n.d.). Cara Delevigne . N/A. Sheffield Hallam University , Sheffield. Images, G. (n.d.). Sea Waves . N/A. N/A, Worldwide. Images, G. (n.d.). Sea Waves . N/A. N/A, Worldwide. Mindful Fashion. (2018, N/A N/A). Digital Emotions. Retrieved from Mindful Fashion: https://www.mindfulfashion. co.uk/work/digital-emotions WGSN. (2017, May 15). The Vision In Touch. Retrieved from WGSN: www.wgsn.com Wilson, J. (2016, February 14). Pyer Moss Puts On Yet Another Powerful Fashion Show, This Time Tackling Mental Health And Depression. Retrieved from Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/pyer-moss-fall-2016show_us_56bfef59e4b0c3c55051b4a0

Author Note With thanks to Sheffield Hallam’s Student Support team for their enthusiasm and cooperation towards this final major project and to the academic lecturer’s support and enthusiasm.

APPENDIX Section one – Sustain definition; “Strengthen or support physically or mentally.” (Oxford Dictionairy, Accessed 2018) Mental Health definition; “A person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.” (Oxford Dictionairy, Accessed 2018) Ethics definition; “Moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.” (Oxford Dictionairy, Accessed 2018) Section Two – Further information on the individual thought starters for trend In Vision. Point one asks to look at humans as emotional beings and understand this, point two asks how the experience with consumers can be offered more relevant to them and their diverse emotional experiences – again it’s all about the consumer connection. Whereas point three asks to consider the word ‘wellness’ as a buzzword and asks how to make a difference by promoting attainable lifestyles and point four asks to cater more specifically to consumers’ minds and bodies.