Wellness & Fashion
Over the last couple of years, the fashion industry has made several efforts to incorporate socially conscious conversations in their work. From inclusivity, diversity, the environment, and social justice the messages are becoming equally important as the designs themselves. Every day we hear about brands donating proceeds, creating capsule collections, and announcing collaborations to help destigmatize mental health and enhance resources. In this blog post, I want to highlight a couple independent and up and coming designers who support mental health.
According to CAMH, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a form of mental illness. Thanks to social media there are more efforts by everyday people, professionals and content creators to destigmatize mental health and educate the public. The challenge with social media discussions is that sometimes there is an overwhelming amount of mental health related content. A person using several social media networks must navigate through myths and facts, often digesting a lot of posts focused on individual reflections and experiences. The overwhelming amount of content can feel over simplified or extremely complex. This can lead to difficulties finding appropriate support options and community connections for some individuals struggling with mental health issues.
I often find that when most people reference fashion and mental health they talk about “retail therapy”. This can be described as the “high” or cathartic release that comes after a shopping spree. Some people also speak about retail therapy as a form of distraction from stressful situations or negative emotions, thoughts, or feelings. Unfortunately, this form of “therapy” usually ends with sinking regret once the moment is over, and you’ve had a chance to go over the bank statements.
I think we can all agree that a fleeting moment of happiness doesn’t do much, to support mental health. However, more and more brands are releasing pieces with the intention to highlight the importance of caring for your mental health or supporting organizations that are working to care for communities. So today, I wanted to introduce you to some brands doing the work to shift the conversations and make mental health resources more accessible.
A streetwear brand that focuses on redefining happiness by reducing the stigma surrounding men seeking help for mental health struggles. In addition to supporting organizations that are doing what they can to improve the mental health of men. 10% of Happy Dude’s proceeds are donated Heads Up Guys an organization that connects men with therapists, counsellors and other resources that focus on depression.
This brand is based in Manchester U.K. They focus on acknowledging, normalizing, and encouraging conversations with men about their mental health. Mentell believes that because “we never know what someone else is going through and people are often too scared to reach out or don’t know where to begin and that is one of the reasons why we have created the brand.” This brand donates money to MIND, a U.K based mental health organization.
Dreams Rule Everything Around Me, is a Los Angeles based company that’s socially conscious and unisex. D.R.E.A.M raises awareness of mental health issues through casual, colorful, fun-to-wear clothing and accessories, designed to help you feel comfortable in your own skin. In addition to 15 to 20% of proceeds going to organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Established in 2018, Boys Get Sad Too is both socially conscious and sustainably made. Upon learning the suicide rate for men in the UK, Boys is a brand encouraging men to openly express their emotions and not suffer in silence. Boys Get Sad Too is not just a clothing brand. It is a community of like-minded people who want to see a positive change in the world. With 20% of its proceeds going to Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a U.K.-based non-profit providing support for men impacted by suicide.
So, if you’re interested in updating your wardrobe with some brands, I would highly recommend any of these brands. I hope this prompts more men to invest in new pieces that also contribute to an important cause.
Personal style is a form of self-expression that can greatly improve a person’s mood and state of mind. I hope this article encourages you to do your own research on brands that support mental health and other causes that are important to you. I think it’s important that here at SWS we have real conversations about fashion and lifestyle. A lot of style blog’s only focus on what’s trending or how to impress other people which is great. But I believe we should also have conversations about how fashion can highlight issues affecting day-to-day life.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. Are there some brands that I missed? Do you wish more companies would do more to support mental health or other important issues? Leave a comment and let’s keep the conversation going.