Fredericton clothing line aims to reduce stigma of mental health

Two young Fredericton entrepreneurs haveturned their own struggles with mental illness into a successful clothing linebusiness, called Wear Your Label.

Kayley Reed, 21, and Kyle MacNevin, 23, contend mental health labels, such asanxious, or depressed,are justdescriptors of someone'smental health, and nothing to be ashamed of.

They say one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness at some pointin their lifetime and that mental health issues should be treated the same as physical health.

"If you break your arm, you get a cast and it's a symbol to the community and the world around you that you broke your arm, but you're healing," said MacNevin. "There's no real cast for mental illness."

So the pairstarted the Wear Your Label brand a year ago to serve as a cast of sorts in hopes of sparkingconversations to create awareness andreduce the stigma.

Their T-shirts, tank tops and sweatshirtscarry messages, such as "Sad But Rad," "It's Okay To Not Be Okay,"and "Self-care Isn't Selfish."

And the care labels don't just tell people how to take care of the clothing, they also tell people how to take care of themselves.

"40% Stretch, Breathe, Meditate.30% Sip Tea & Eat Well.15% Feel Your Feet, Be Present.10% Laugh Out Loud.5% Listen To An Awesome Song."

Hope to put themselves out of business

Reed and MacNevin, who donate 10 per cent of profits to mental health initiatives,saythey've seen a spike in orders from around the worldsince their businesswas featured by People Magazine and Buzzfeed.com last month.

They say they also get emails every day from people who have purchased their clothing.

"Some of our favourite stories to share are of a father who has bought our product to help create a conversation with his daughter, who he knows is struggling with self-esteem issues," said Reed.

The business partners saythey plan on moving into retail, but only with a store that will champion their message.

Ultimately, they say they hope to put themselves out of business by makingthe discussion about mental health aneveryday topic.