In recent years, mental health has risen up the corporate agenda with more attention being paid to the historically ‘taboo’ subject than ever before. On 16th October, The Collective by Lewis Silkin joined forces with #ThisPlaceMinds and TLC Lions to discuss the luxury retail and legal industries’ changing attitudes towards mental health and what more could be done to promote mental well-being.
Rejection ‘part and parcel’ of the fashion industry
Attending the roundtable event was Alexandra Kutas from TLC Lions, the world’s first runway model to use a wheelchair (as featured). Alexandra has worked to support disability and mental health awareness in her home country of Ukraine and on an international stage, spurred on by her debut runway show which achieved widespread media coverage across publications like the Huffington Post and Daily Mail.
The event commenced with Alexandra discussing her perspective on beauty, and how this was shaped during childhood by her parents, who were always supportive of her. Alexandra described her subsequent journey into the industry and discussed how this support had encouraged her to pursue her aspiration to become a model.
To this point, Alexandra was extremely positive about the fashion industry and suggested it helped build her confidence in many ways. However, she did note that it can be a very challenging industry in this respect, due to increased competition, the impact of social media, and numerous rejections, all of which can take a toll on mental health.
According to Alexandra, rejection is part and parcel of the job for luxury fashion models. She described her experience of receiving around 500 rejection letters from designers, many of which responded to say that they didn’t think ‘the market was ready’ for her. Alexandra believes that the fashion industry is quite slow to adopt change and has a way to go in terms of inclusivity, and pointed to the low representation of black and ethnic minority models as one example.
Media attention and the importance placed on social media influence has also added to the pressures felt by fashion models. Alexandra suggested that the industry (and society more generally) is fixated on ‘likes’ and ‘shares’, and there is concern amongst models that if this drops off, you can easily be forgotten. All of this has resulted in a greater range of mental health issues, and questions remain around how those working in the industry can be better supported through these changing pressures.
#ThisPlaceMinds
The discussion then turned to the ways in which organisations can remove the mental health stigma within the workplace and encourage a healthy and engaged workforce. Emma Richardson, Director of WorkSphere – the HR consultancy service at Lewis Silkin – kicked off this part of the discussion by telling attendees about the impact of the #ThisPlaceMinds campaign at the firm.
The campaign aims to help those working at Lewis Silkin, as well as clients, to help foster workplaces that enhance mental well-being. Starting earlier this year, the firm has held numerous well-being events such as a ‘Good Mood Food’ day and mindfulness activities, as well as a series of personal blogs published from employees across the business on their own experiences with mental health.
‘A problem shared is a problem halved’
Emma and other employees from Lewis Silkin attending the event described the positive effect the campaign had had on the firm. Most notably, they felt that the campaign had helped to build a supportive culture where people can talk openly about their mental health, as well as problems related to their work and personal life.
From Alexandra’s perspective, sharing personal issues or experiences is a helpful way to take care of your own mental health, regardless of the industry you are working in. The group discussed how speaking openly about shared experiences can be ‘therapeutic’ and the best way to overcome the challenges to mental well-being posed in high pressure sectors like fashion and law.
The Collective by Lewis Silkin is excited to continue exploring these issues with members – if you would like to join or have an idea for a future event topic then get in touch.
Want to join The Collective and contribute to the debate?
Email us at: The.Collective@lewissilkin.com