A Day With Malan Breton

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Next up in our series of looking at how designers are staying positive in the current turmoil (see one and two here), Malan Breton has allowed us behind the scenes to see his day, thank you Mr Breton, and don’t forget to check out his recent collection

My day begins at 6 am with meditation, a very deep process of visualisation. After that I write in a diary three pages of constant thought, be it whether I purchased honey from the market to writing lyrics to music, three pages of this.

I sketch ideas for fashion, movie sets, concepts for automobiles etc, then I message the people I’m mentoring to see how they are, what they are working on in the day. I follow this with a check in of my friends to see that they are healthy and safe.

In the midday I try to do 500 crunches, and a bit of stretching, and to eat some vegetables or greens. Once I complete my work I’ve been recording virtually with my friends who produce my music for at least a couple of hours a day.

Then I try to do an old fashion floor barre my old ballet instructor taught me many years ago. It’s about 40 minutes of resistance work on the floor to keep my muscles strong and lean. Through the day I’m taking 6 tbsp of pure honey, eating lots of garlic, balancing my ph with apple cider vinegar, and lemon in water, and sucking on hating gummy bears to lubricate my throat and keep it from getting dry.

In between all of this I’m working on strategies, and virtual home office work with my team in Paris. Before bed I try to make a list of goals I will accomplish for the next day and upcoming week. I’m also helping to edit my new music video, and hand designing jewellery with up-cycled silver and gems from pieces I have found over the years with the help of my jewellery partner.

Always before bed I end the day in gratitude no matter how difficult. I was watching a lot of Jacques Demy films last week for inspiration, I love Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, it is a feast of colour, light, music, and fashion. I have been really enjoying a lot of music from Africa lately, I love Innoss’B . The joy and life in the music is beautiful and keeps me moving. I’ve also been studying The baroque period, herbal remedies for general ailments, and the history of the Tao tribe in Taiwan. I have also been re-reading The Great Gatsby. Such a fascinating period in history, one that parallels modern times in many ways.

Meditation is a difficult process of letting go and existing in the moment. But allowing yourself the time and clarity is a powerful gift. Sometimes it helps to chant, or work through a guided meditation at first then once you learn to be quiet within yourself you can take the journey to self visualisation. It’s very powerful. I have such clarity after. To many this will sound overwhelming, but baby steps, taking it at your own pace is the key.