Sat in a dimly lit London pub filled with the stagnant stench of beer and cheap aftershave,

George Hodgson stands out. In a crowd of large guts and bellowing voices, George’s petite

frame and well-spoken, soft tone are a stark contrast.

​

His chestnut brown hair is perfectly groomed into a chic quiff, whilst his thin silver nose-ring hints at his millennial edge.

​

“The top that I’m wearing today is from my latest range,” George says gesturing at the vivid yellow

top he has tucked into beige, baggy corduroy trousers.

​

The t-shirt he is referring to has the statement, ‘warrior not worrier’ boldly emblazoned across it.

​

Although George is only 22-years-old, he is already an established fashion designer and the owner

of the successful fashion label ‘Maison de Choup’. He proudly tells me how Vanity Fair crowned

Maison de Choup the fashion brand with a mental health cause at its heart.

​

George’s brand is groundbreaking. It was the first ever British fashion label solely dedicated to

raising awareness of mental health issues. Since he won the British Fashion Startup Award in

2016, his label has gone from strength to strength.

​

“My brand is all about promoting mental health awareness and helping to break the stigma,” he

says. “At fashion week I wore a bright orange high vis bomber jacket with the phrase ‘mental health matters’ sprawled across the back. I knew photographers would take photos of it and it would start a conversation about mental health.”

​

Despite his confident demeanour and great success, George himself suffered from crippling

anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

​

George’s life changed forever the day he sat in a damp tent, rolled up a five-pound note and

sniffed a line of the recreational drug MDMA.

​

“I wasn't nervous,” he says. “I was an excited 16-year-old taking drugs for the first time with all of

my friends at a festival.”

​

George says this event catalysed his life into a whirlwind of anxiety and thoughts of suicide.

​

Whilst he was high on the drug, George suffered a terrifying panic attack: “I’d always suffered from

anxiety when I was younger but I never really knew what it was. Sniffing the drug sent my anxiety

through the roof and I began having an intense panic attack. After the festival, I had panic attacks

every single day for three weeks thinking I was still on the drug.”

​

Shuffling in the worn, wooden chair he is sat on George leans forward. He gently places his

clasped hands on the sticky surface of the table we are sat on as he begins to relive his darkest

days: “When I returned from the festival I went into a complete state of psychosis. I was so

paranoid I would accidentally take drugs. Every time I had a panic attack I thought I was on MDMA

again.”

​

George laughs whilst telling a story he says depicts his struggle and one he now finds amusing,

“One day I went to my 93-year-old Grandma’s house for dinner and I couldn't even touch her

kitchen table as I thought there could be traces of cocaine on it.”

​

Although he can laugh about it now, George’s anxiety got so bad he would wash his hands 50 to

100 times a day in case he had accidentally touched drugs.

​

He tells me how he couldn't go into pubs as he was worried everyone would be on drugs. Sat in

the pub now full of clearly intoxicated individuals, George’s progress is clear to see. In a situation

which would have once sent him into a state of overwhelming anxiety, he now looks calm and at

ease in his surroundings.

​

George attributes the start of his recovery to one particular day when his anxiety climaxed: “I was

shovelling horse manure in my field at home when I started feeling very hot. I began to sweat and

have tunnel vision. I thought I was back on the drug. I ran into the house screaming ‘mum and dad

I’m on ecstasy.’ I was running around the house thinking I was going to die.”

​

Despite this shocking outburst, George’s parents were understanding. Once he had explained the

whole story and detailed his intrusive suicidal thoughts they sought therapy for him.

​

“The waiting list at CAMHS was 40 weeks.” He continued: “I just couldn't wait that long so my

parents agreed to put me into private therapy which I did for three years. That is why 25 per cent of the proceeds from some of my clothing goes to Young Minds UK, as I know not everyone can affordthe option of going private.”

​

As part of his recovery, George undertook hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy

sessions. During this time his therapist encouraged him to start using drawing as a way to illustrate how he was feeling.

​

Describing this period he says: “I was struggling to verbalise how I felt so I started to draw it. Once

I began drawing well I wanted to put the designs on a t-shirt as a way of showing my friends and

family what I was going through. I then thought I could set up a brand to raise mental health

awareness. Through these initial drawings, Maison de Choup was born.”

​

George runs his fingers through his hairspray glazed quiff as he discusses the different ways he

has built his brand, “I was messaging over one hundred people a day to try and get them to wear

my clothes.” He continues, “You also never know whom you're going to meet in a bar. Last week I

was drunk and talking about my brand to someone who turned out to be the CEO of Gymbox. Now

my designs are going to be put in all of their London gyms!”

​

When asked what advice he would give to someone who might be going through struggles

themselves he says, “Talk to someone and you’ll start to feel better. Never feel ashamed, mental

health really does matter.”