Fashion, Mental Health, and Madhappy
Written by Erin Abramowicz
For a long time, mental health was (and still is in many communities) a very taboo topic to discuss, but in recent years significant progress has been made in starting open conversations about it. It’s possible that the pandemic helped to speed up the process. The social distancing and safety precautions incorporated into the work spaces of many schools, businesses, and other places of work left many people feeling isolated and alone. From 2019 to 2020, there was a 93% increase in the number of people looking for anxiety screenings and a 62% increase for depression screenings according to Mental Health America (Zatorski, 2021, para. 2). These staggering numbers have helped accelerate action towards improving mental health initiatives This widespread destigmatization has been evident through various platforms including social media, professional work spaces, and lately — fashion. Many brands have been focusing their attention on mental health initiatives and donating to mental wellness organizations.
For Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2021, luxury knitwear brand Leret Leret donated 25% of its proceeds to The LoveLand Foundation — an organization that helps Black women and girls find mental health support. NAKED Cashmere and evolvetogether collaborated to design a set of masks with the words “be kind to your mind” stamped across them. They pledged to donate $5 from every set sold to Silence the Shame, which is a nonprofit that uses crisis response training, community conversations, and other initiatives to educate and empower communities and individuals on mental wellbeing (Zatorski, 2021, para. 8-9). While seeing this action and support from major brands is inspiring, some companies are taking it a step further by centering their entire brand identity around wellbeing. Enter Madhappy. Madhappy’s catalog is characterized by colorful graphic hoodies, t-shirts, sweatpants, shorts, and hats bearing the MadHappy logo or “Local Optimist.” Most recently, they collaborated with Major League Baseball to release a line of New York Yankees themed designs for sherpas, sweatshirts, and more. But the brand is much more than its clothing.
Launched in 2017, the LA-based streetwear brand declared its mission was “to make the world a more optimistic place” as well as “to de-stigmatize mental health and create more conversation around it.” The brand hopes that in raising awareness, it will help people feel less alone and encourage them to reach out for help and support. In addition to its shop, the website features The Local Optimist, a mental health resource by MadHappy that contains playlists for any month and mood; stories and articles about mental wellbeing; interviews with popular creators and influencers spanning numerous health-related topics, and a page with resources for mental health support. One such resource provided is a phone number to contact The Local Optimist itself, to keep people up-to-date about all things MadHappy and provide access to mental health kits (https://www.madhappy.com/pages/about). The brand has also hosted seven immersive pop-ups in different cities that featured full product lines, discussions on mental wellbeing, and guided meditations. The brand has previously partnered with charities such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Alliance to End Homelessness (DeAcetis, 2019, para. 4-6). In an interview conducted by Joseph DeAcetis for Forbes in 2019, founders Peiman Raf, Noah Raf, Mason Spector, and Joshua Sitt talked about the vision they had for their brand during the ideation stage of development.
We see Madhappy as a movement. We were all pulled into this through some life experience and we feel that we can make a huge impact on the world. We’re starting with clothing because that felt like a natural beginning to us - but we see this as something much bigger (para. 16)
Now more than ever, brands are starting to focus their efforts on endeavors to support social good through both merchandising and donations to charities and nonprofits. Fashion has always been a creative outlet for many. It is a medium through which one can express themselves, their feelings, their opinions, and their values. The creation of Madhappy has helped to mark an exciting change in the fashion industry by creating a space for people to start important conversations in an artistic manner.
Sources:
DeAcetis, J. (2019, February 5). Madhappy, an optimistic approach to the Millennial Generation. Forbes. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephdeacetis/2019/01/16/madhappy-an-optimistic-approach-to-the-millennial-generation/?sh=386c718772ec
Team Madhappy. (n.d.). About Madhappy. Madhappy. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.madhappy.com/pages/about
Zatorski, C. (2021, May 27). 14 brands supporting Mental Health Awareness. Vogue. Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.vogue.com/article/brands-supporting-mental-health-awareness