DROP 3: TUMMY ACHE
Introducing Tummy Ache, the slow fashion brand and magazine encouraging honest conversations about mental health.
Anna Morrissey - the illustrator, writer and founder behind Tummy Ache - created the brand to dismantle societal expectations and celebrate slowing down.
Anna, what can we say. We're obsessed with Tummy Ache. What was the inspiration?
"Tummy Ache grew out of my own personal struggle with my mental health, and my need to create in order to calm down. The t-shirts were pieces I began embroidering for myself in order to broach the topic of what I had been going through to the people around me. The embroidered emblems of pain and sadness were a less daunting way of bridging the gap between what was going on inside my mind, and explaining it to the world I had become so isolated from.
My friends all wanted their own emotional uniforms when I started wearing mine, and we began to have unexpected conversations about what everyone was silently dealing with. The brand has grown out of this desire to open up emotional conversations through clothing and art."
We can't get enough of your staple Tummy Ache Sleep Set. What is your favourite piece right now?
"I love the new vests. I feel they really reflect my personal style at the moment, while also staying true to the style of the brand. They’re sexy, boyish, and sensitive."
Tummy Ache is almost 5. What challenges have you faced as an independent brand during this journey?
"Being an independent brand is very rewarding because it’s so hands on, but it’s a lot of work. I’m so emotionally invested in every stage of the process, that sometimes it’s hard to separate myself from the brand.
Funding is always the hardest part. I have lots of ideas, but everything is very expensive when you’re dedicated to creating it in a sustainable and conscious way."
What does collaboration mean to you in the small business world?
"Collaboration is community. I’ve met so many amazing creatives through collaborations within the small business world. It’s quite radical to share audiences and help each other - collaboration across businesses goes against the neoliberal model of work and individual success. It’s communal, and I think it’s the key to ensuring small businesses continue to thrive within a capitalism that seems to want business monoculture."
Let's talk about you designs. Tell us about the choice of messages and illustrations embroidered onto them.
"It’s really important to me that the messaging isn’t overly sentimental or prescriptive. I want those wearing my pieces to feel that they can project their own experience onto their garments. The designs are lifted from my notebooks, which are packed with emotional drawings - almost like visual diary entries. Whichever emotions are resonating with me the most strongly, or with those around me, I tend to include in the collections. There’s a lot of humour ingrained in the designs which is also important. Humour is a great avenue to conversation and openness."
Let's wrap this up... Do you have any funny or memorable underwear stories you can share?
"Hmmm. Weirdly nothing springs to mind. Sometimes if I'm feeling really depressed I don’t wear any underwear when I walk down the street, it helps me feel alive again."