Inside Look: Fashion Design and Mental Wellness

Facing the stress of the fashion industry

Cover Photo from Tameta Designs | Photographed by Liam Mackenzie

INSPIRING CULTURAL RESTORATION

Growing up in her mother’s shop and seeing the designing of clothes, from a young age Jasmin Tameta found herself piecing together scraps of fabric and stitching clothes for her dolls, unknowingly foreshadowing her future in fashion. In hopes of keeping her mother’s business alive, she picked it up where her mother left off by blending both Filipinianas, a traditional formal Filipino gown for women, with Canadian modern trends, and created Tameta Designs. 

“Through Tameta Designs, I want to break boundaries to promote inclusion and blend cultures and unite the comforts of tradition along with the ever-changing modern trends.”

Given the sparsity of access to traditional Filipino attire, her business allows for the community to have easy access to cultural garb, and ensure an accurate fit, something which often goes awry with overseas orders and mass production.

Design by Tameta Designs | Photographed by Liam Mackenzie

DEALING WITH CRITICISM

As a petite person with differing proportions, Jasmin found it hard to find clothes that fit her. 

“[The] fashion industry puts a high emphasis on the surrealistic portrayal of perfection,” says Jasmin. “I remembered when I was a student in fashion school, I was told by one of my professors that my models were too curvy and that I needed to change the style of my sketches.”

Dealing with such criticism was not easy for a young, motivated individual like Jasmin, and she admitted that “it is one of the greatest challenges that I have encountered as a young designer.”

“It’s very easy to compare yourself with others. When I heard such feedback, my head automatically told me that, ‘I’m a failure,’ ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘I’m so behind’. So many times, I doubted myself whether my career choice was the right one.”

ASKING FOR HELP

Recently, Jasmin opened up about her struggles with mental health on social media.

With her trauma of being bullied when she was small and the stress of having to “work harder”, Jasmin’s anxiety built up and caused her to begin experiencing panic attacks. Despite silently fighting this internal battle, feeling like an inadequate daughter, friend and partner, it took Jasmin four years to realize the need to seek help. In 2018, she was formally diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.

Although it was initially hard for her parents to accept and understand the gravity of her new diagnosis, through their own research, they held out their hand to help Jasmin in any way they could. Jasmin remembers being nervous telling them about her condition at first, scared that it would change their relationship, having them “tiptoe” and see her differently. She soon realized that it was her own self walking on eggshells, treading cautiously on this new terrain, while her friends and family were ready to support her as best as they could. 

“I wanted my nieces and nephews, my godchildren and younger cousins to also know that because of them, I am alive and here today,” Jasmin explains. “Without these youngsters around me, I wouldn’t have the motivation to be a better role model for them.”  

The past three years have been quite a rollercoaster for her. After losing her job, due to her diagnosis, and two lengthy and incredibly significant relationships, Jasmin contemplated life and death multiple times. 

“I was so lost, hurt, and broken.” 

After several such instances, she made the decision to “push herself to try and do better.” It was hard to get her feet off the ground at first; however, she has slowly paved her way on a path to be healthier for her mentality and physicality. 

Jasmin modeling piece by Tameta Designs | Photographed by Liam Mackenzie

ACCEPTING YOUR VULNERABILITY

In coping with her anxiety, Jasmin picked up journaling as a way to open up about all that she was feeling and began therapy as a way to express her emotions. In addition, she channels her energy into designing with more vision and artistry in hopes of redirecting her attention away from her worries.

“It’s okay not to be okay. Don’t be ashamed of yourself. It is important to face the issues, know that they are valid, accept them and accept your vulnerability.” 

The process of healing does not take place overnight, throughout her journey, she has learned a key takeaway:

“You are with yourself for the rest of your life - learning to love yourself will serve as an asset on future endeavours.”

Sewing together her passion for fashion and sharing her voice, Jasmin Tameta is motivated and eager to continue on to a happier and healthier stance, challenging herself to take on new activities every day. She hopes that through her story, she can help stitch up a positive recovery that others can hold in respect, especially in the high competition and pressure of the fashion industry.

Keep up with Jasmin and Tameta Designs on Instagram @tametadesigns.