Newquay Photographer Launches Mental Health Focused Clothing Brand

A young Cornwall creative is turning deeply personal artwork into clothing designed to spark conversations about mental health, with support from a government-backed Start Up Loan.

From Photography to Fashion

Newquay chef Finley Taylor, 20, has launched his first clothing collection after transforming his surreal self-portraits into wearable designs. The collection, titled Self Unknown, features exclusive graphics exploring floral imagery, human nature and emotional extremes. Fin describes the range as “hella comfy”.

Fin’s brand is called TheDiscOrg, short for The Disassociation Organisation. He hopes the clothing will connect with people on a personal level and help reduce stigma around mental health.

“If I can reach people and start conversations through the images I create, then it’s worth doing,” he says.

Early Creative Roots in Cornwall

Fin began taking photographs at around the age of 10, using his father’s Nikon camera to capture macro images of plant life at the Eden Project. He later studied photography GCSE at Tretherras School in Newquay, where his work focused on surrealism and experimental techniques such as Photoshopping and scanography.

He explains: “I’d use a flatbed scanner as a camera, filming my face and moving it around.”

These blurred and indistinct self-portraits have since become a key part of his work and link directly to his A level dissertation on dissociation.

Mental Health and Life Online

Fin says his ideas were shaped by observing how much time people spend on their phones and the impact of algorithms on identity.

“I started looking at how much time people spend on their phones, and how the algorithms shape their personalities,” he said. “It’s crazy.”

He also reflects on his own experience of lockdown, describing it as “the darkest time in my life”. He identifies a shared sense of angst among young people as life shifted online and uncertainty about the future grew.

Support Through a Start Up Loan

Start Up Loans is part of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 per director, along with free business mentoring, to help people start or grow early-stage businesses.

Fin borrowed £2,000 to cover production and marketing costs for his first winter collection.

“A couple of people mentioned Start Up Loans and the fact it was a government-backed scheme. I’d recommend it to other people, 100% – if you have an idea and want to pursue it, this gives you a way to do that.”

While he has built the brand from scratch and taught himself Photoshop and marketing platforms, it was the mentoring offer that stood out most.

“What I really wanted was to talk to someone with more experience than myself in the field of clothing retail. This is a business, at the end of the day.”

Fin has been matched with business growth coach Maria Anubi, with sessions due to begin soon.

Looking Ahead

Future plans for TheDiscOrg include expanding into accessories and seasonal drops, exporting internationally, exploring hybrid art and retail spaces such as galleries, and building a community through short films and interviews.

Fin was supported through the application process by Ellie Garbett at SWIG Finance, the British Business Bank’s Business Support Partner for Start Up Loans in the South West.

Ellie said: “I really admire Fin’s passion and resilience. He started this business from scratch, taught himself new skills and put in the time to thoroughly research the gap in the market.

“But The DiscOrg is more than just a clothing brand. I love its purpose, which is to create awareness and communication through creativity. What really stands out is how it uses clothing to express individuality and tell stories. I believed in its mission of encouraging conversations and reducing the stigma around mental health and it has real potential to grow.”

📷Finley Taylor (left) modelling some of his clothing range with friends.