A fashion show that started on the inside
How a fashion show became months of work with women living with mental illness, and what we learned on the way.
In the "Amitim" programme at the Galei Yam community centre I accompany people living with mental illness as they become part of the community. It is a programme of the Israeli community centres company and the Ministry of Health. The fashion show we produced with the participants was the end point of a long process.
What we wear on the inside
Living with mental illness means facing every day not only the difficulty itself, but also the feeling that society doesn't see you. So we began on the inside: personal and group sessions about body image, confidence, stigma and social change, and about producing the show itself.
Clothes made especially
Fashion designers joined in, and designed and sewed clothes especially for the show. A stylist gave each participant her own touch, and a choreographer taught the runway walk, special steps and the closing pose.
No one alone
Each participant had a personal companion, who supported her and helped her get ready throughout. So the participants arrived at the evening itself calm and prepared.
On the day
Volunteers joined in: hairdressers, make-up artists, a bar designer and a pastry chef who baked a fashion-show cake. To me, this is exactly "Fashion of the Soul": between the clothes wardrobe and the soul's wardrobe.
Written by Batel Green. This article is not a substitute for personal advice.