By Kelly Skjerven
One clothing label is combating the stigma around mental health, promoting the idea that it’s okay not to be okay.
Wear Your Label was founded by two young adults, Kayley Reed and Kyle MacNevin, after they began volunteering at a mental health organization and were asked to create an awareness campaign together.
“I had been struggling with my mental health throughout university, but never spoke about it. I didn’t tell my family or my friends that I had been struggling, because I was honestly ashamed of the stigma associated with mental illness. I had developed an eating disorder, and things were going downhill fast,” Reed said.
When the idea of a clothing line came about, Reed and MacNevin decided to turn it into a reality.
“I always thought that fashion was an interesting tool to create conversation. Whether that conversation is around style, or around equality, or around mental health, fashion is something that we interact with every single day in our lives,” Reed explained.
They were later accepted into the Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion innovation at Ryerson University.
Located in 10 Dundas East, the Joe Fresh Centre is modeled after the DMZ and introduces start-up companies to fashion-industry professionals.
“The mission of the Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innovation is to accelerate Canadian start-ups in all fashion related fields, including design, production, technology and professional services,” according to their website.
Canadian individuals and businesses may apply to the 18-month program where they can receive mentorship from Ryerson faculty and industry professionals.
“Coming from New Brunswick, it was perfect for us to be exposed to the fashion hub of Canada, to be able to build those key relationships in the industry, and learn so much from our mentors,” Reed said.
Reed said that being accepted into the program helped them with expanding their project into a successful company.
Wear Your Label now ships to over 35 countries from Los Angeles, CA.
The clothing line is unique in that they don’t seek typical fashion models to promote their clothing, but role models.
After their first model call for Atlantic Fashion Week, the co-founders made the decision to come up with a casting technique that better fit their brand.
“We were sitting in a room for 8 hours, watching models come in and out, hearing only their name and measurements, and making judgements based off of their looks. Coming from someone with past body image issues, I thought, ‘This doesn’t really fit our brand at all’,” Reed explained.
The application now asks applicants to share their own experience with mental illness, or how they support others. There are no age, height, or weight requirements to model for the clothing line.
Struggling with mental illness can be difficult for anyone, and often seeking help is the hardest part.
“Mental illness likes to try and convince us that we are alone and it’s kind of a war that we fight inside our own heads. So if you can find one person that you can reach out to and feel comfortable talking to, that is a really important thing,” Reed advised university students dealing with mental illness.
“You’re not alone in whatever you’re going through.”