Melbourne Designer Launches Film on Mental Health and New Collection

Melbourne fashion designer Rochelle Gregory presented a short film and runway show during Melbourne Fashion Week. The film depicts her experiences with hospitalization, self-harm, suicidal ideation, bulimia, and anorexia. Gregory said the project was created to share her story alongside a new collection.

Gregory began sewing as a child after learning from her Greek grandfather, who worked as a tailor. She graduated from the Whitehouse Institute of Design in 2014 and launched her independent label Rocky Rafaela in 2016. The brand focuses on custom pieces, edgy shirting, dancefloor dresses, and ready-to-wear jackets made from sustainable leather and silk.

Gregory's career gained attention in 2018 when a custom leather jacket she designed was worn by actress Ruby Rose in a cosmetics billboard campaign. She has also created garments for Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa, and Gigi Hadid. During this period, Gregory said she was managing multiple mental health diagnoses including borderline personality disorder and depression.

The designer previously operated a store in Albert Park that has since closed. Business now operates through an online portal. Gregory said she turned to fashion as a distraction while working through these challenges.

The recent runway show and film screening marked Gregory's return with a new collection. In the 12-minute film, Gregory re-enacts periods of hospitalisation and recovery. She said the project helped transform her experiences into a message of hope and self-worth.

Gregory is now working as an ambassador with Lifeline. She is collaborating on a T-shirt campaign scheduled to launch later this year. The designer said she first attempted to take her life at age 17 and later received intensive therapy and life coaching.

Gregory said she has been sober for two and a half years. She described the film as a way to show others that difficult experiences can be turned into light. In the film, Gregory responds to a journalist calling her a success story by saying she is just getting started.