It’s not rare for women to experience mental health issues. About one in five struggles with depression, anxiety, phobias and others. What are the reasons and how can fashion help with these conditions?
The Power of Clothes to Enhance Our Mood
Probably everybody is familiar with this feeling. You choose your clothes for the day and look in the mirror. If you like what you see, you feel like you can conquer the world.
Why is that?
We connect clothes to specific roles. For example, if we want to feel confident and strong, we will choose what gives us this feeling. By wearing a specific piece of garment, we “get into character”, so to say. We also know what impression we will leave on others. This is another boost.
However, we must not betray our style.
Creating Clothes for Better Mental Health
Designers can definitely implement ideas of bettering mental conditions when working on their collections. This can be done by fabric and colour choices. Also fits, cuts, prints etc.
Colour is the most obvious mood enhancer.
Everybody knows that it affects mood in different ways. Yellow is optimistic and happy; it elevates our mood. Red and black give a feeling of power and control. They may also be sexy. Blue soothes and so on.
So, designers may consider these effects when creating garments.
But it’s also about fit.
Soft and roomy clothes sometimes give a much needed and soothing feeling of coziness. Slim fits that sculpt the body may make a lady feel sexy and confident.
And it’s not just the pieces that are seen.
Underwear that’s sexy is empowering. The comfort of a quality pair of socks or bras and bikinis can evoke a sense of calmness. And this leads us to fabrics.
Natural fabrics like silk, cotton and wool give a pleasant and soothing feeling. On the other hand, synthetic fibers allow for creating intricate garments that help women stand out which is a powerful confidence boost.
Let’s not forget prints, too.
Even sweatshirts or t-shirts with simple positive slogans can help create a better mood. But on a deeper level animal prints, for example, give a sense of rebelliousness and freedom. Wearing bold patterns you can own also helps self-belief.
However, is this all fashion industry can do for mental health?