Simon Whitehouse is once again making waves in the fashion world. The former CEO of JW Anderson has launched an online store for his brand EBIT, whose name stands for a shortened form of Enjoy Being In Transition.
Through its e-commerce site www.enjoybeingintransition.com, the brand is not just selling products. The website actually also works a platform where young creatives and models suffering from mental health issues can apply for projects.
EBIT
In addition, Whitehouse, who was recently CEO of luxury retailer Modes, reveals the names of his suppliers on the portal. Under the slogan “Made in Italy—a Humanized and Collaborative Approach,” he names his three main production partners, OTS, Denim Service, and LFG, and also provides the names of his contacts.
“We find new faces, emerging talents, and up-and-coming models who don’t yet have experience with brands but are still open and willing to share their experiences with mental health. These are our people: fresh, strong, genuine, open, authentic,” said Whitehouse.
EBIT
Originally from the Manchester area, in the UK, the manager has also worked for Diesel, Eco-Age, and Donna Karan New York in the past. He can be considered an iconoclast in the fashion world, having decided to openly address taboo topics in this sector. Through social networks such as LinkedIn, he expresses criticism of practices in the luxury sector.
The issue closest to his heart is mental health. He speaks openly about his struggle with depression and his suicide attempt in 2009. “Since then, everything in life is a bonus for me,” he wrote in an Instagram post, encouraging people who are thinking of taking their own lives: “Don’t be afraid of being judged.”
To reach as wide an audience as possible, Whitehouse created the EBIT brand, whose name is an invitation to all those who are suffering because they have not yet reached their destination in life to enjoy the journey, however difficult it may be.
EBIT
The new website is a portal that leads into the world of EBIT. “It includes a kaleidoscopic catalog of all the creative projects completed so far, the largest collection of resources on mental health on the Internet, and a radically transparent view of the ethics of the fashion industry, particularly with regard to luxury pricing and Made in Italy products,” explained Whitehouse.
One section of the site is called “Open Casting Call.” Here, young creatives and models can apply for projects with the brand. The first shoot for the site is a collaboration with casting director Irene Manicone. She styled the three models Nina, Leonardo, and Elena, whose experiences with mental health are highlighted in the product description in the “Add to Cart” section of the e-commerce store. Images were shot by Milanese photographer Mauro Maglione, whike hair and makeup are natural, as in a Polaroid casting.
The team was supported and assisted by Jordan Anderson, who works as a creative director and fashion and culture journalist in Milan. Anderson’s work often addresses political issues within and outside the fashion industry, including race, gender, identity, and branding, as well as cultural ethics.
EBIT
Anderson is the founder of My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness (MQBMBQ), an online platform that explores black queer identity through fashion, music, art, and all other creative forms, among other collaborations.
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