Being on the same honour roll as Bryan Keon-Coen AM QC feels like some giant mistake tbh. My very healthy sense of imposter syndrome won’t even let me address my “contribution to the Fashion Industry”. 😳 I want to be upfront, despite all the propaganda & because I get so many messages & questions from young people about how-I-got-here, that my journey does not read like a glossy. My struggles with depression & anxiety have been crippling. There was a very recent period where I needed medication to get through daily attacks after months of which the pain of being in my head was unbearable. Thank god for my family & friends. I’m a little (a lot) myopic when it comes to work, there’s not really any work-life balance. I eat like a teenage boy left to his own devices, don’t sleep & don’t really understand what boundaries are. But I love what I do & have always selfishly let that guide everything. 🕊 This award isn’t really for me but for my Mum & Dad - they gave my sister & I not just the world but a sense that anything we wanted was never out of reach. I can’t fathom how they managed this as babies off the plane from India to NZ with not much more than their grit & love, Mum all of 22 🥲. I’m sorry Mum & Dad that I spent most of my time at Law School partying or hungover 🫣. Thank you for supporting my, in hindsight, ridiculous decision to turn my back on a career at a top tier firm after 6 years of uni & college fees to do an unpaid cadetship at VOGUE as a writer. Go your own way kids esp if you’re lucky enough to have support like I did. ❤️ 🙏🏽 @trinityunimelb @unimelb #OakleafAward