The Pressure of Fashion: Leadership, Stress, and How We Treat People

The fashion industry moves fast. Deadlines are tight, fittings change overnight, production issues happen constantly, and everyone is trying to solve ten problems at once. I understand pressure. Most people working in product development, technical design, production, and design understand pressure.

But pressure should never become an excuse to disrespect people.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many different personalities — some incredible leaders, and others who struggled to manage stress in healthy ways. One thing I’ve learned is that when people become overwhelmed, their frustration often spills onto the people around them. Communication becomes short. Passive-aggressive behavior increases. Team members stop feeling comfortable asking questions. Eventually, people begin walking on eggshells instead of collaborating.

And once that energy spreads through a team, everyone feels it.

I’ve seen situations where managers snapped at employees, dismissed people mid-conversation, ignored coworkers, or spoke down to team members as if they were incompetent. In many cases, I don’t believe these individuals were bad people. I believe they were exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed, unsupported, or lacking the tools to regulate themselves under pressure.

But regardless of the reason, the impact still affects the entire workplace.

A younger designer or assistant who is still learning may already feel insecure or overwhelmed. Speaking harshly to someone who is trying to learn does not build a stronger team. It creates fear, confusion, hesitation, and miscommunication. People stop asking questions because they’re afraid of being embarrassed or shut down.

Leadership is not about intimidation.

Leadership is about creating clarity, stability, and trust, especially during stressful moments.

One of the most important things I’ve learned throughout my career is that emotional regulation is a professional skill. Technical skills matter, of course. But knowing how to communicate under pressure matters just as much.

If you’re overwhelmed:

• Step away for a moment.

• Go for a walk.

• Talk to your best friend, or partner.

• Get coffee or tea.

• Breathe.

• Download Insight timer and teach yourself how to meditate or regulate your system using breath work as an example.

• Work on another task temporarily.

• Listen to music.

• Take five quiet minutes to reset your nervous system.

• Stay calm and tell the person you’re dealing with to give you a few minutes and you’ll circle back.

• Journal and delete.

• Take the day off

• Learn how to reset

• Apologize if needed

Not everything needs to be solved in one hour. Not every problem is an emergency. Sometimes the best thing we can do is pause before reacting.

And yes, everyone has bad days. No one is expecting perfection.

But accountability matters too.

There is a difference between having a stressful moment and creating a consistently uncomfortable environment for others. A simple apology, self-awareness, or acknowledgment can go a long way in maintaining trust within a team.

I also think many workplaces underestimate how damaging exclusion and passive-aggressive behavior can be. Silence, avoidance, withholding communication, refusing to collaborate, these things impact workflow just as much as direct conflict. Healthy teams require communication, even when personalities differ.

The reality is that not everyone at work will become friends, and that’s okay. Professionalism does not require personal closeness. It requires mutual respect.

I’ve always believed that people deserve basic courtesy in the workplace:

• Acknowledgment.

• Clear communication.

• Respectful collaboration.

• Professional boundaries.

• Emotional maturity.

Especially in leadership roles.

Fashion is already a difficult industry. Long hours, constant revisions, shifting priorities, layoffs, freelance instability, and high expectations can wear people down mentally and emotionally. Many companies also lack strong HR support systems, leaving employees to navigate unhealthy environments on their own.

As freelancers and contractors, this can feel even more isolating. Temporary employees are often treated as replaceable instead of valued contributors, despite carrying significant workloads and responsibilities.

But I also believe we each have responsibility for the energy we bring into a room.

Stress is unavoidable.

Disrespect is not.

The healthiest teams I’ve worked with were not perfect teams. They were teams where people communicated honestly, respected one another, and knew how to regulate themselves during difficult moments.

The workplace does not need more fear-based leadership.

It needs emotionally intelligent leadership.

And sometimes the strongest thing a person can do is simply pause, breathe, and choose not to pass their stress onto someone else.