1 in 5 people live with mental illness, but 5 in 5 have mental health.
Recognized by MTV Style, Hello Giggles, BuzzFeed, and receiver of a Canadian Arts & Fashion award: Wear Your Label is making waves. Founded by Kyle and Kayley it is a fashion organization who's goal is to end the stigmas surrounding mental health patients and survivors of abuse.
Kyle and Kayley met in December of 2013 while working for a mental health organization; Kayley was battling an eating disorder and Kyle was living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and ADHD. Their shared experiences and battles in society brought them together and made them realize they were not alone. However, they knew that conversations on these topics are rare and would have never occurred outside of meeting at this organization. This motivated them to create a new kind of brand, a new niche in the fashion market, and a new way to help others share their stories. Wear Your Label was created within a few short months following in 2014.
The goal of Wear Your Label is to bring the power of conversation in subtle ways. K & K believe that nothing connects us better than shared experiences. Through the clothing and Bracelet Project of WYL, individuals with shared mental health battles and survivorship stories can connect in a way that doesn't blatantly plaster their struggles to their forehead.
While the clothing, which is for men and women, is adorable, the Bracelet Project is the true gem of WYL. This project helps to unite fighters, survivors, AND supporters in a unique and colorful way. There are bracelets for a variety of things such as ADHD, Addiction, Eating Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Self-Injury awareness, Survivors of Sexual Abuse and more. The best part of it all? 10% of the profits from anything WYL sells goes towards the funding of mental health initiatives.
The only way this company will ever slow down is if the stigmas do, and that's exactly how it should be.