Concept:

For this collection, I was inspired by my personal experience of having a loved one who struggles with addiction and the common stereotyping and misjudgments cast on those who suffer from addiction or those who have addictive personality traits. Through my research, I found that nearly 46% of young adults ages 18-25 suffered from a substance abuse disorder or mental illness in the past year. Despite almost everyone Having a loved one or knowing a friend who has struggled with addiction, the stereotypes and the judgment surrounding this disease haven’t gotten any kinder or more realistic. In my personal life, I have become extremely frustrated and confused at the continued lack of understanding and empathy for those who struggle with this extremely common disease.

As a result of my frustration, I challenged this misconception and created a capsule collection exploring what it means to be someone who struggles with addiction specifically or simply those who have addictive personality traits. From my perspective, I know it to be true that those who experience this can be some of the most creative, successful, and innovative minds in our society. It is unfair and cruel that the mindset of our society is so limited and skewed. I created a collection through my experience with the goal to shift the perspective of how we view those who struggle with addiction or addictive personality disorder and bringing light to the reality that we are all the same and we all have the potential to be the best versions of ourselves if given the support and the understanding we all deserve.

For my design process, I used traditional fabrics that would be associated with high-end garments such as suiting, and silk organza, and applied them to my silhouettes. I designed specific negative spaces within many of the garments to represent the vulnerability those who suffer from this disease experience, while simultaneously representing the open and honest aspect of asking for help and getting clean. Personally, I use sewing as a therapy and a coping mechanism for my own struggles in this matter. so I decided to add many embroidered stitches to represent my personal outlet and many leather trims acting as a form of stitching yourself back together. For the knit sweater specifically, I incorporated many open areas which I created by using intarsia to integrate a new yarn and then I drop-stitched many spots on the sweater to again add an element of exposure and vulnerability to the garment. The leather trim on the dress was specifically chosen to add structure around the open waist and create a cage-like feature representing the defensiveness of protecting yourself from the outside. This collection was a learning experience for me as I navigated my feeling surrounding this topic. I hope my designs provide an understanding that things can be different and nontraditional while also being beautiful. I truly believe everyone deserves our love and understanding as we all struggle and suffer in our own unique ways. Have compassion for one another and create change.