Preventing fashion burnout: how 'always on' mode is blocking the industry's creativity

Lisa Krage is the founder of Swiss Performance Systems and a specialist in performance coaching and corporate health. She develops measurable performance systems for high-performers in demanding positions and for ambitious companies. Her approach is based on scientific stress and performance diagnostics, methods from elite sports, and over a decade of experience in international business environments. Her motto is: health and success are not mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand.

Before going freelance at the end of last year, she held various roles in the sporting goods industry. She first worked for the German group Adidas and most recently as brand communications and athletes lead for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at the Swiss sports brand On. She experienced first-hand what modern leadership demands of the body and what separates the best performers from the burnt-out. She also knows high performance from her own experience as an active competitive track runner.

Today, she combines these two worlds in Swiss Performance Systems. FashionUnited spoke with her about how stress measurably impairs creativity and performance and what tips she would give to leaders in the fashion industry.

You are active in stress diagnostics and performance consulting. what are your initial tips for companies to promote the wellbeing of their employees?

My first tip is to measure, not guess. In business, we make data-driven decisions every day on turnover, growth, and margins. So why not do the same when it comes to health?

We are all familiar with health days, sleep lectures, and resilience workshops. The problem is that most of these initiatives are measured by the number of participants, not by their impact. This is why most corporate health managers I speak to have difficulty expanding their resources. No data, no demonstrable impact, no budget.

Have you had similar experiences in your career?

Yes, I have experienced this myself. We once invested 10,000 Swiss francs in a sleep expert. It was a two-hour presentation, well-attended, with good feedback. My honest assessment in retrospect is this: if those two hours do not lead to concrete behavioural changes, such as a commitment to eight hours of sleep daily or regular bedtimes, it would have been more beneficial for the employees to simply sleep for those two hours.

This is not a criticism of sleep experts. It is a criticism of the system. As long as corporate health is not measured with KPIs like any other area of the business, it will remain a nice add-on instead of a strategic infrastructure. First, we need data instead of generic wellness offers to understand where performance is truly being lost. Only what is measured can be addressed, allowing us to allocate resources meaningfully.

What structural problems that burden employees are deeply rooted in fashion companies?

The fashion industry thrives on cycles: fixed deadlines, seasonal collections, and the constant pressure of the next season. Developing a new product in the sports-fashion industry typically takes two years, from concept to launch. Simple colour updates are quicker; new innovations take three or more years. The fashion calendar is tightly scheduled.

What is often forgotten is that high performance requires recovery. In competitive sports, no one would expect athletes to be in competition form for twelve months straight. A regeneration phase always follows the competition phase. The sports-fashion industry is different. Here, fashion shows, marathons, and campaign launches follow one another in quick succession. This is a structural problem.

Are there specific consequences caused by chronic stress that you particularly notice?

What I see in many of my clients' profiles, I also know from my own experience. I worked in a high-performance environment for years and ignored the classic warning signs. I powered through the day with coffee, worked while sick, and then, when I finally went on holiday, I would immediately fall ill. This is no coincidence. The body waits until it can 'allow' itself to rest and then catches up on what it has suppressed.

This is the exact same pattern I see in most high performers: the lost ability to 'relax'. The classic statement is: “I come home and just can't switch off.” This is not a character problem; it is biology.

What is behind this?

We are talking about a dysregulation of the stress response system. The body is permanently in a sympathetic or activated state, in 'always on' mode. The research here is clear: studies show that work-related chronic stress is consistently linked to an increased heart rate, elevated cortisol levels, and reduced heart rate variability. The body literally loses the ability to switch flexibly between tension – the 'fight-or-flight' state – and recovery – the 'rest-and-digest' state.

What would you recommend to leaders in the fashion industry to reduce the long-term effects of stress?

First, assess the current situation. What is the state of my body's resources? What are my stress patterns? Can I still regulate myself, and if so, what truly helps me do that? Various measurement methods are available for this, from long-term ECGs and biomarker tests to surveys.

According to studies, a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases and considerably increase life expectancy. Some longevity clinics even speak of an 80 to 20 ratio. 80 percent of our health is said to be influenced by lifestyle, environment, and habits, while genes account for a maximum of 20 percent. So, one's own sphere of influence is huge.

What is the next step once the current situation has been determined?

Then it is the basics that make the difference. Not cryo-chambers or expensive infusions, but sleep, exercise, nutrition, and social contact. I am not just speaking from scientific conviction, but from my own experience. I used to start my training on an empty stomach and skip meals when things got stressful. I then wondered why my energy levels were so low in the afternoon. Today I know it was not a problem of willpower. Unstable blood sugar creates stress in the body, which can feel like anxiety or even panic.

The crucial question is: how do I make these basics my standards so that they can withstand a stressful work week or a business trip? For example, I always travel with running shoes and choose hotels with a gym. That sounds simple, but it is an attitude. I will say it openly: I would not choose an employer who does not actively create a framework that promotes my health and performance, and where the healthy choice is easier than the unhealthy one.

Designers balance creativity with the pressure to finish collections. at what point does physiological stress block the creative process?

The body and mind cannot be separated. Stress is multidimensional and always biological. Every negative thought, every deadline, every conflict triggers a biochemical reaction in the body. Catecholamines are released, the heart rate increases, cortisol rises, and the brain switches to survival mode. In survival mode, creativity is the last thing resources are used for. Chronic stress destroys the very mental state that creative work requires. In survival mode, one reacts rather than creates.

I thrive under short-term pressure, just like in a competition. I learned that from competitive sports. I am very efficient and solution-oriented then. However, with prolonged stress, I notice a significant decline in my creative abilities. The capacity of my nervous system is very limited then.

Are there parallels between elite athletes and executives?

Absolutely, and that is the core of my approach. I see executives as elite athletes – the business athlete. Both are under constant pressure and both depend on peak performance.

Let's take a concrete example from sports science. A fluid loss of just one to two percent of body weight measurably impairs performance, affecting concentration, strength, and reaction time. For athletes, running ten seconds below their personal best would immediately raise an alarm. In the corporate world, we ignore warning signs every day.

The difference between athletes and executives? Athletes are supported with diagnostic tools, recovery protocols, mental coaching, and nutritional expertise. I had the honour of helping to build such a system at the sports brand On: the '360° Athlete Support' programme. My goal is to transfer this principle to the business world.

Krage worked for On for around six years in various roles, including marketing Credits: Lisa Krage

What lessons did you take away from your time at On?

My most significant lesson from more than nine years in the sports industry is: culture beats motivation. Motivation is fleeting; it works when everything is easy. Culture is what sustains you when things get difficult.

I have experienced first-hand how an environment where healthy choices are the norm, such as running during the lunch break, a fresh, healthy canteen, and walking meetings, can make a difference. It led me to build habits that I probably would never have maintained so consistently on my own. The environment does the work for you. This has completely changed my perspective on sustainable performance and is now the foundation of my work with executives and companies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into creative and business processes. do you see these tools as a remedy for stress or as an additional pressure, as expectations for performance and speed increase?

That depends on how you use it. I have personally never been afraid that AI would replace my job. I have a very strong growth mindset and am constantly learning and developing. Anyone who is afraid of AI today should ask themselves: what are my strengths that AI cannot take over in the near future? What are the human skills that will become even more important in the future?

AI accelerates output, such as data analysis, structuring, and text creation. However, human capacities like stress regulation for strategic decisions under pressure, emotional intelligence for building business relationships, and a high-performing, healthy body for the necessary self-confidence cannot be automated in the near future. This will be the decisive competitive advantage in the coming years.

To what extent can stress diagnostics help to promote productivity or reduce error rates?

I see stress diagnostics as a tool to expand human performance capacity and as an early warning system for burnout. I know from my own experience how long you can ignore these warning signs. Being ill on holiday, feeling like you can never really switch off, waking up exhausted in the morning even though you have slept: these are not just feelings, they are measurable biological states.

Studies show that burnout patients exhibit altered cortisol patterns months in advance. Those who read these signals early can react before the damage occurs. It is not for nothing that the World Health Organization has described stress as the 'health epidemic of the 21st century'. The figures are clear: a single case of burnout costs a company four to six months' salary in lost work, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, there are losses in productivity, staff turnover, and damage to reputation. This can add up to several million per year, depending on the size of the company. That is why I see corporate health and stress diagnostics not as a cost centre, but as risk management.

This interview was conducted in writing.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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