London Fashion Week: Alexa Chung discusses having ‘imposter syndrome’
Yesterday, Alexa Chung made her much-anticipated designer debut at London Fashion Week with a collection inspired by her own personal sense of style.
One might think that Chung would have been imbued with confidence as she displayed her sartorial creations during the most fashionable event in the capital.
However, the model-turned-designer revealed that she’s no stranger to 'imposter syndrome', a feeling of inadequacy that affects many people in all walks of life.
“It’s not exclusive to fashion, I’ve felt it with everything I’ve done,” Chung told BBC News.
“Writing for Vogue, that’s a huge imposter syndrome. Television, every day before we went live, I’d be like, ‘am I equipped to do this? I don’t know’.”
When a person has imposter syndrome, they often feel as though they don’t deserve their achievements and that others may perceive them as being a "fraud".
Last year, a study discovered that around a third of millennials experience imposter syndrome at work, with two thirds admitting that the lack of confidence that they feel may have had a negative impact on their career.
While Chung may sometimes doubt her abilities, she believes that having imposter syndrome can sometimes work to your advantage.
“I think it’s a good thing to be aware of or to feel about yourself, because it allows you to still be open to learning, it means you’re more curious about other people and how their journeys have happened,” she said.
“Also, if you’re egotistical and think you definitely deserve to be doing this then maybe you won’t be progressing or evolving.”
Chung’s collection, titled 'Arrivals and Departures', took inspiration from the transitory nature of airports, featuring a variety of holiday and casual wear.
“What’s interesting to me is there’s this place where people from literally all around the world in one hallway are all expressing themselves, be it in the most casual form or whatever,” the designer said in regard to her interest in airport fashion.
“That’s quite interesting to me, because when you do spot someone that’s looking really dapper in an airport you’re like, ‘wow, total image commitment’. So we started thinking about that."
