From Glamour To Ruin (Somatic Psychosis)

Mehad Mohamed

Summary
Final work

I am a Sudanese creative, born and raised in London, with a background in textiles and fashion design. My love for storytelling and visual expression led me to explore costume design, especially after years of finding comfort and inspiration through reading. Books opened worlds to me, through them that I realised the power of costume in bringing characters to life. Now through costume for performance I have been able to merge my technical skills with narrative design.

My goal is to work as a costume designer, crafting garments that not only stand out visually but tell deeply personal and culturally resonant stories. I’m especially motivated to create work that speaks to resilience, identity, and well-being. I want to design costumes and tell stories—on stage and screen—that give voice to people’s hidden battles. Through my craft, I hope to reflect strength, vulnerability, and the beauty found in survival.

During my degree in Costume for Performance, I’ve spent the last few years exploring how costume can express identity, emotion, and transformation. My work often draws on psychology and anatomy. I’m fascinated by how what we wear can reveal or conceal who we are, and how costume can act as a second skin that shapes the way a character moves and feels.

I’m especially drawn to film, theatre, and live performance as spaces where costume plays a vital, storytelling role. Whether it’s building a world from scratch or adding depth to a single character, I love the collaborative, creative process that brings stories to life. As I step into the industry, I’m excited to keep developing my voice as a designer and maker, and to be part of projects that connect with audiences in visceral, visual ways.

I am a Sudanese creative, born and raised in London, with a background in textiles and fashion de...

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Set in the glamorous yet constricting world of 1950s Hollywood, this short film follows an actress alone at her dressing table, preparing for set. Beneath the surface of her polished routine, something begins to crack. She’s disrupted by the sudden appearance of her reflection, but unfortunately it’s not the version of herself she recognises. As the actress spirals through a wave of emotions denial, fear, anger, and grief, her attempt to reach out to her reflection becomes desperate, smearing lipstick across the mirror in a moment of breakdown. Eventually, the mirrored version of herself steps through the glass, crossing into the physical world and quietly making herself at home in the dressing room. This marks the collapse of the boundary between her public persona and her hidden, vulnerable identity.

The actress hides behind her glamorous 1950s gowns, using them as armour to mask what’s really going on inside. But when she starts seeing herself in the mirror she's forced to confront the huge gap between who the world sees and who she really is. That reflection exposes how far she’s drifted from herself.

The film explores the isolating experience of psychosis, particularly somatic psychosis, where psychological pain manifests in the body. It captures the internal split between who we present to the world and who we are when no one’s looking. The contrasting 1950s gowns act as visual metaphors, the actress’s controlled, elegant costume represents societal expectations, while the inner self’s distorted gown reveals the chaos and emotional truth beneath. This is a deep story, told through symbolism, costume, and performance, about what it means to confront your most vulnerable self, and what happens when that self refuses to stay hidden. Psychosis isolates her, not just from others, but from her own identity.