Meet The Bearded Ladies Team! A London company making dresses in a fairtrade and sustainable way.

We're a new company, making manly dresses for anyone, of any identity, who wants to wear 'em. We are wearing dresses (both our designs and others) every day in December.

I’m interviewing Dressember participants throughout the month to raise awareness about human trafficking with a lens of how the issue relates to art and mental health. Learn more.

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On the other hand, if you love this work, consider a paid subscription. I am donating ten percent of all December Substack income to Dressember. PLUS, for every five new annual subscriptions this month, I’m immediately subscribing to another Substacker to support other creatives writing about art and mental health.

What does Dressember mean to you? Why are you participating this year?

It's a small thing that allows you to do something about what feels like an unwinnable war, and doing a little bit that joins with all the other little bits eventually does a lot, which is better than screaming into the void.

Have you participated in the past?

No, this is our first time.

What does "mental health" mean to you? How does it relate to your own life and/or your understanding of the Dressember cause?

Mental health is something we're only just coming to understand, and good mental health is vital to being able to cope with and navigate through the world. A large part of the work Dressember does involves support and treatment for people who have experienced unimaginable trauma, allowing them to begin to heal and live fruitful lives.

In what ways does Dressember allow you to express yourself creatively while raising awareness and funds?

At Bearded Ladies we'd say no one needs to be "allowed" to wear a dress, but Dressember does a great job of encouraging us to celebrate our individuality and appreciate the freedom we have to do so, unlike so many of the people they're trying to help.

In what other ways do you think creativity and mental health intersect through the Dressember project?

Dressember gives a lot of people an avenue to showcase their creativity in a way that they might not feel comfortable with outside of the campaign.

Additionally, it provides an opportunity to feel the personal benefit and human connection of helping people in need.

What is the aspect of Dressember's cause that you most want to highlight?

The overwhelming scale of the problem of human trafficking, a $150 billion per year industry that, even if they had the will to tackle it, is too monumental to be solved by a single government or group. It will take a concerted global effort.

What do you wish people knew about human trafficking that you suspect most people don't know?

The fact that a large portion of all of the products, goods and services we use on a daily basis rely on the exploitation of victims of human trafficking.

In your own words, how does wearing a dress every day for a month make a difference?

It's a good way of initiating conversations about human trafficking, a subject that can often be difficult to talk about.

What's another random thing we might be interested to know about you?

We're a new company, making manly dresses for anyone, of any identity, who wants to wear 'em.

Donate directly to The Bearded Ladies Team’s Dressember fundraiser here. They are a team of dressmakers: G (he/him) is the designer, Beth (she/her) is the artificer, and Ed (he/him) is the wordsmith. They share in their fundraiser description:

“We are making dresses in a fairtrade and sustainable way in London and we want to see more of the fashion industry follow in those footsteps. For that reason we are wearing dresses (both our designs and others) every day in December to raise money for the prevention of human trafficking.”

Connect on Instagram, TikTok, and their website.