Good mental health is essential to having a great quality of life. Three in ten Canadians shared in an
Ipsos survey that mental well-being concerns have disrupted their lives in some way in the past year. The Canadian Mental Health Association annually hosts
Mental Health Week which starts today to create greater awareness and to encourage conversations and discussions on this topic. Adding to this #GETLOUD dialogue, we’re shining a spotlight on
Wear Your Label and their efforts to help abolish stigmas associated with mental health.
Two years ago, Kayley Reid and Kyle MacNevin met while volunteering at a Fredericton-based mental health organization. They found common ground opening up about their mental illness: Kayley was battling an eating disorder and Kyle had anxiety disorders. While sharing their personal experiences, they were inspired to start
Wear Your Label, a conscious lifestyle online store that encourages people to take ownership of their mental health, rather than fear labels that so often define us.
Wear Your Label’s product line ranges from clothing and accessories to home items with a spectrum of subtle to bold pieces that are designed to spark conversation. “We want everybody to feel comfortable wearing our product - not just those personally affected, but supporters too,” said Kayley Reid.
In two short years, Kayley and Kyle made steady progress towards their goals. In July 2014, Wear Your Label sold their first product. In September 2015, they created their website with
Shopify and used PayPal to accept payments. They launched with a star-studded debut at New York Fashion Week. Through their meteoric rise to success, Wear Your Label has maintained a strong connection to each piece they create often by sewing tags on every product by hand.
What’s ahead for this incredibly dynamic duo? They would like to expand their influence and hope to make a tangible impact on the mental health of individuals around the globe. They are building relationships with international organizations to establish on-the-ground programs and mental health-related services in developing nations where mental health is still extremely stigmatized.
At the end of my conversation with Kayley, I asked if there was anything else she wanted to add. “You are not alone. It may feel like you are, but there are millions of other people out there who ‘get it’, who have gone through it, who have overcome it. And you can too. I only realized how common it was when I opened up about my own struggles. People began sharing their stories with me in return. We are all afraid of being judged, but at the end of the day, we're all going through something and it's important to start opening up and sharing our struggles.”
Lizzie Prowse, Head of SMB Marketing, PayPal Canada