Design Brief
Embodying Empathy and Narrative in UX
Create a capsule collection inspired from Mental Health. The collection will consist of six garments that will slowly show the myriad of stages one goes through when suffering from a mental illness. The autumn/winter collection for 2024/2025 will capture a young crowd from the age group of 20-35. This women's wear collection will show how fashion and art can help aid mental illness.
I focused on embodying the emotional and psychological journey associated with mental illness. This required me to employ empathy and narrative-driven design, skills highly pertinent to UX. By merging fashion design with principles of UX, such as user empathy, clarity of communication, and aesthetic functionality, I was able to ensure that each item in the collection served a deeper, psychological purpose, echoing the profound impact thoughtful design can have on user experience.
Design Direction
A comprehensive exploration of mental health expressions, detailing various psychological conditions, emotional responses, and coping mechanisms, highlighting the complex interconnections within mental health issues.
Visual Boards
The inspiration behind the fashion collection is deeply rooted in mental health, a topic that has been segmented into six distinct areas. The first segment, centered around diagnosis, portrays the initial revelation of a mental illness to the character, capturing the array of emotions they experience during this pivotal moment. Moving on, the second character is depicted as being trapped within their own mind, highlighting the internal struggle and emphasizing the individual's journey to free themselves mentally rather than physically. The third garment delves into the side effects of schizophrenia, specifically focusing on hallucinations and the character's internal battle to differentiate reality from their mind's cre-ations. Transitioning to the fourth and fifth garments, the narrative shifts to bipolar disorder, with one piece illustrating the manic phase characterized by heightened energy and eccentricity, while the other portrays the depressive phase marked by introspection and melancholy. Finally, the last garment symbolizes healing, showeasing the characters' resilience and growth stemming from their mental health challenges. It emphasizes their journey towards strength, acceptance, and self-love, portraying a narrative of embracing their scars as symbols of growth and empowerment rather than concealing them. This collection not only serves as a creative expression but also as a powerful storytelling platform that sheds light on the complexities and triumphs associated with mental health struggles.
The observation board for mental health consists of powerful visuals that evoke associations with mental illness. The curated images depict a range of expressions, each conveying a unique narrative related to mental health. These visuals capture themes of discomfort, pain, sorrow, and the struggle to conceal emotions. The images vividly portray individuals who seem to be screaming silently, conveying a sense of being trapped within their illness. The intensity of the visuals allows viewers to almost hear the silent cries of those depicted, highlighting the internal turmoil and emotional distress experienced by individuals grappling with mental health challenges.
For this particular collection, I curated three distinct moods to encapsulate the rollercoaster of emotions inherent in the mental health journey. The first mood centers around hallucination, drawing from the experience of schizophrenia. It aims to depict the struggle of distinguishing reality from the fragments created within one's mind, capturing the disorienting nature of hallucinations. The second mood, power-lessness, conveys the sense of defeat and the overwhelming feeling of being conquered by one's illness. It portrays the recurring cycle of setbacks and the daunting challenge of rising again to confront the illness. The third mood, screaming internally, delves into the intense emotional turmoil experienced silently due to the stigma surrounding mental health. It symbolizes the internal struggle to break free from the grip of mental illness, reflecting the desire to escape the suffering and start anew. These moods collectively weave a narrative that explores the complexities, challenges, and resilience inherent in the mental health journey, offering a poignant and multifaceted portrayal of the human experience with mental illness.
Hallucination
My approach to the color board for the collection showcases a deliberate departure from the conventional association of mental health with blacks, greys, and monochromatic palettes. Instead, a diverse range of colors across the spectrum was chosen to convey a nuanced narra-tive. Each color was selected with intention, carrying both negative and positive connotations that align with the collection's themes. For in-stance, the mood of hallucination called for trippy and psychedelic colors to capture its essence effectively. In contrast, the healing theme was represented by calming blue tones symbolizing peace and serenity. Every color was carefully chosen to mirror the characters' emotional fluctua-tions, emphasizing the highs and lows of their moods while harmonizing with the overall narrative of the collection.
Design Development
Technical Pack
Silhouette Development
Print Generation
Technical Pack
The Mindshift Experience
Mindshift
Diagnosis featuring confusing muddling prints of neurones and brain tissue. Voluminous sleeves, one short one long.
Trapped featuring a full body jumpsuit with a print of a body trapped inside the garment.
Slits in sleeves to free yourself and increase functionality.
Hallucination featuring a printed full sleeve bodice with trouser and face mask.
Mania featuring a flower shaped skirt attached with Velcro that opens, dropping the petals.
Depression featuring a 'wilted' flower skirt and empire line bodice.
Healing featuring a full sleeve asymmetric shirt with collar. A sleeveless bodice and full length trousers.
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