By Eva Adcock, Loa Rivas, Emilia Rendòn, Bianca Shah. Cover Claire den Hartog courtesy.
Claire den Hartog rolled out her first yoga mat at thirteen. Since then, wellbeing has become her way of speaking about clarity, balance and transformation. Founder of CLARITY and VEDIQUE, she works in creative wellbeing through bespoke experiences, retreats and consulting for individuals and brands, weaving together ancient healing practices, movement, mindfulness, contemporary wellness and creative direction. CLARITY was born from the essence of her own name, Claire, meaning “to illuminate”, and reflects her desire to help people reconnect with their inner light and a more authentic sense of presence. Alongside this path, she is developing VEDIQUE, a house of limited-edition ritual pieces designed to elevate everyday gestures through intentional living and refined design. We met her to talk about the body as a place of awareness rather than control, the relationship between fashion and wellbeing, the risk of turning wellness into visual performance, and the need to return to breath, nature, personal rhythm and a truer sense of presence.
How Yoga Became the Foundation of Claire den Hartog’s Wellbeing Philosophy
Your journey started very early, surrounded by yoga and holistic practices. When did you realize this could become your life’s work?
I feel it began long before I was consciously aware of it, through my maternal line and the way wellbeing was woven into everyday life. At my Rudolf Steiner school, meditation, yoga, creativity, nature and small rituals of care were all part of my education. Later, when I struggled with body dysmorphia, disordered eating and a dysregulated nervous system, yoga became a homecoming: a safe space where I could reconnect with my body, regulate my emotions and begin returning to myself. It taught me the power of alchemy, transforming pain into purpose, darkness into light and disconnection into awareness. It was the first place where I could truly see myself beyond insecurity or limiting beliefs, and reconnect with my own light. In many ways, that is where CLARITY was born. Even the etymology of my name, Claire, means “to illuminate” or “to bring light”. To me, that is the essence of yoga: shining light within ourselves so that we may share it with others. Yoga became my anchor, my compass and eventually my purpose, helping others return to balance and connection, especially in a world where so many people feel burnt out, overstimulated and disconnected.
Why Creativity and Wellbeing Belong Together
You studied Creative Direction in Florence. How does that creative mindset influence the way you work with balance, body and ritual today?
Creativity and wellbeing have always been inseparable for me. Studying Creative Direction taught me how to build a world around a feeling, translating emotion, atmosphere and energy into something tangible. Today I approach wellbeing in the same way, making internal states such as vitality and emotional regulation feel sensory, embodied and accessible. Visual storytelling, social media, movement, rituals and in-person experiences all become tools to help people reconnect with themselves. The strongest aesthetic is how you feel. A healthy body and a clear mind are the new definition of luxury.
Body Image, Self-Acceptance and Emotional Wellbeing
You’ve experienced a complex relationship with your body. What does it mean to you now to feel truly at home in it?
Feeling at home in my body means accepting, celebrating and empowering it instead of punishing or controlling it. For years, I saw my body through pressure, comparison and unrealistic expectations. Now I see it as a lifelong companion: wise, cyclical and constantly communicating through energy, emotions, intuition, hormones and sensations. As a woman, I have learned to honour its rhythm and intelligence, and to understand that it was always trying to protect me and guide me back to balance. The body is our most valuable asset, yet we are also more than our physical form. True confidence began when I stopped chasing perfection and started building self-acceptance, compassion and connection.
Fashion, Authenticity and the Pressure to Be Perfect
The fashion world often promotes a very specific idea of beauty. How can someone stay authentic within that system?
It starts with a strong internal reference point. Fashion shapes culture, identity and desire, but it remains external. Without an inner anchor, it is easy to fall into comparison or performance. For me, that anchor has always been my rituals, my body, my inner world and nature. I think authenticity comes from understanding that style should be an extension of who you are, not a mask. Fashion becomes most powerful when it expresses something truthful rather than performative. And, ironically, I think people are most magnetic when they fully embody themselves instead of trying to become someone else. There is a certain energy and presence that naturally emerges when someone feels deeply connected to themselves, and no trend or beauty standard can really compete with that.
Is Fashion Really Changing the Way It Sees the Body?
I think it is evolving, but often more visually than psychologically. Representation has grown, yet many pressures remain; they have simply changed form. Today even wellness, beauty, fitness, productivity and “naturalness” can become performances. A real shift will happen when the body is valued not only for how it looks, but for its intelligence, sensitivity and ability to support life.
Why Do So Many People Look Healthy but Feel Exhausted?
The disconnect is clearest in fashion, modelling and social media, where looking well is often confused with being well. Someone can appear healthy and still struggle with burnout, anxiety, hormonal imbalance, emotional disconnection or a dysregulated nervous system. True wellbeing is more subtle: it is energy, vitality, clarity, emotional regulation and connection to self. The real shift will come when the body is valued for how it feels, functions, heals and supports life.
You often speak about alignment between body, mind and spirit. What does that look like in everyday life?
Alignment means living in harmony with yourself, your body and your environment. For me, it means listening to my energy, nourishing myself properly, moving in ways that feel good, resting, spending time in nature and protecting my nervous system. It also means reconnecting with natural rhythms, from sunrise and sunset to the lunar cycle and seasons, and honoring the cyclical nature of the female body. When I am not aligned, my body always tells me first.
Has Wellness Become More About Looking Good Than Feeling Good?
When they are represented more than they are lived. Wellbeing naturally carries beauty through rituals, movement, and slow living, but depth disappears when the image becomes more important than the internal experience. True wellbeing is not always beautiful to look at. Sometimes it is rest, discomfort, boundaries, discipline, emotional processing or nervous system regulation. For me, beauty is the byproduct of wellbeing, not its purpose.
How can we speak about inner work in a way that feels real, not performative?
By allowing wellbeing to be honest, nuanced and human. Real wellbeing includes discomfort, grief, slowing down, readjusting and moments of disconnection. I never want to communicate wellness from a place of superiority, because I am still learning and healing too. The most authentic communication comes from embodiment: when someone genuinely lives what they speak about. True wellbeing is often quiet, and its power is in creating connection.
One Simple Habit That Can Change the Way You Feel
What’s the First Step to Reconnecting With Your Body?
Start by paying attention: to your breath, energy, emotions and sensations, without trying to fix or control anything. The moment you begin to notice, you begin to reconnect, and from that awareness everything else follows. Sometimes reconnecting with yourself can begin with something as simple as taking one conscious breath.
