On Exeter's streets, spontaneous conversations with creative people often reveal how personal style serves as a vital outlet for self-expression and identity. In this feature, we speak with Alice about what brings vitality and meaning to her days.
For Alice, feeling alive is deeply tied to creativity, alternative fashion, and exploring who she is:
"Dressing up, exploring different facets of who I am. I'm autistic... I've been denied like my identity for a really long time. So, dressing like this is just a facet of me, and I just love to dress up and just be fun."
Reflecting on how fashion acts as a form of storytelling and wearable art, Alice shares:
"Everybody has a choice in what they wear... it says something about them. It's like wearable art, fashion innit."
Opening up about personal challenges, Alice reflects on navigating severe illness and the journey of recovery:
"I was very, very unwell for a while... I really lost my mind, so that was a big struggle that I overcame. But I think everybody reaches that point when you deny something about yourself for so long, your mind sort of takes over for you. I overcame that, and I never thought I'd be here today just like walking around by myself."
Closing our conversation, Alice shares a grounding and reassuring message for the world:
"It's so difficult, but do your best all the time, and that's all you can really do... That's what I live by every day. My dad told me that, so I just try my best every day. It's all I can do, innit."
