I have worked in the fashion industry 25 years as a photographer and as a Creative Director. It’s an industry that can give you a feeling of doing something so unique, so exciting that you stand taller and think of yourself as larger (your ego grows) even though no one will know your name or what you have created- but you will see people on the street or in your social feed that will be wearing or carrying what you have imaged that gives you immense sense of pride and accomplishment.
The fashion world- especially retail sales, designing, fabricating, and styling for fashion- can be a cruel place to work in. Many people in leadership positions consistently talk down to those that report to them. They speak awful, crude, racially charged, weight shaming, age shaming, gender shaming jokes and comments. There are employees and freelancers who work 10-12 hours without any extra benefits, and it’s expected because of understaffing. Large parties are thrown- that as an employee you must work but do not get paid for- because the reward is going to the party. I have been personally yelled at and cursed out for petty things and I was expected to take it without showing any emotion.The safe places in fashion are the photo studio and restroom. It is within those walls you can complain, get upset, and cry. In the movie A League of Their Own, There is the line that Tom Hanks delivers to Bitty Schram , “are you crying? There is no crying in Baseball!” I created a text piece many years back at the start of my Retoyman project “There is Crying in Fashion”. I just recently updated that text piece and added Some overt symbolism in this reimagined piece. I have included a single blood tear from the word crying. I want to this to be easily sharable, so I created posters, canvas bags, and tee shirts to show my pride for surviving in fashion and show solidarity with my fashion community.
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