"Minds Matter" Campaign

As part of Movember & Men's Mental Health Awareness month, we’ve teamed up with a special guest model to be the face of our “Minds Matter” campaign. Way back when the evenings were lighter and the weather warmer, we received an inspiring email from a man called Joe.

Being a fan of the brand, Joe reached out to us and told us his story. He explained that he was a firefighter and that he and 3 colleagues were the first firefighters on the scene of the tragic helicopter crash at the  Leicester City F.C. King Power Stadium last year, that sadly took 5 lives. Joe went onto say that he and his colleagues were running the Leicester Half Marathon wearing full firefighting gear including a breathing apparatus set (around 20kg altogether) to raise money for The Vichai foundation and The Firefighters Charity and asked would we sponsor their efforts.

We of course obliged but it got us thinking, it got us thinking about Joe & his colleagues, about men who work in the services, about men who face macho stereotypes because of their jobs, about men. It got us thinking about men’s mental health

 

Being a menswear brand with a predominantly male customer and follower base, it got us thinking about this epidemic that's become so prevalent amongst men. The subject of men's mental health needs to be talked about and whilst we are witnessing a shift happening towards breaking down the stigmas, the statistics still shocked us. Globally every minute a man dies of suicide, 75% of suicides are men and 1 in 4 men are fighting a mental health problem, these are just a few of the sad truths about men's mental health. The problem has become an epidemic under our noses because of the stigmas and stereotypes that exist in our society. We know men face male stereotypes every day, they get told to “man up” or get made to feel like they can’t talk about their feelings because it will make them appear too sensitive or it’s a weakness.  

When we heard Joe's story we knew he would be the perfect person to help us with this campaign, to help us break down those stigmas and stereotypes and show that no matter what job you do or what difficulties you may find yourself facing, it’s ok to talk. In fact, its good to talk. 

After spending a hectic day at MD HQ we grabbed Joe for a quick chat to discuss how he looks after his mental health and the advice he would give to anyone who’s struggling. Here’s what he had to say...

 

Throughout the month of November, we will be donating a % of our profits to CALM charity and Mood Swings charity. We’ve teamed up with the charities who are on hand to talk, advise and generally be there when you need them most.

Want to share your story or ask for help? Join the conversation on Twitter with the #mindsmatter.

@marcdarcysuits @moodswingstweet @theCALMzone