Emily Pillon

Would they perceive me as I fear, or would they accept me as I am? 

Somewhere along the way, I lost motivation to continue creating this collection, and I needed to find a new source of motivation. I want to tell an important story through my work, as hard as it is to be vulnerable, I believe that the significance of the message is bigger than myself. 

No one ever talks about how living with a skin condition can alter someone’s way of living. Eczema wasn’t just something I had, but it was all I would see when I looked in the mirror. When I was young, all it felt like was like a quiet companion that I never really questioned. But with age came awareness and with awareness, came shame. I noticed that not everyone had the tendency to cover up or hide, and that was the moment I felt the divide between me and every other person. I started to shrink myself to fit around it, and allow it to lead the way. I let it decide what I wore, who I became, what I deserved, and who I let in. I stopped living a life of freedom, of choice, but rather a life of survival.

I built comfort out of discomfort and learned to settle in it. But I knew that the simple fact of it all was that if nothing changes, then nothing changes. 

Change. That is entirely what this collection represents. Accepting that change is inevitable and we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable to it, completely and unconditionally. Flowers always speak my thoughts without having to say anything at all. We continue to bloom through each and every season, no matter how heavy the storms are. The result is something stronger; they represent strength, resilience, hope, and the beauty through the “ugly”. Through ideas of nature, songs of significance, and raw expressions, I tell a story of my life. 

With that, I’m walking away from the comfort I built my world around. Every single piece signifies a period of stagnant and slow change; Guilt through the shame, control through the uncertain, finding beauty in the ugly, and identity through the change. We deserve a life of fulfilment and peace. With this collection, I am consciously choosing that life for myself, so should you too