We design and sell clothing that help raise awareness around mental health and mental illness.
3) Who is the founder:
I am the founder (Jesse Briscoe) with the help of The LOST Organization, a local mental health charity in Hamilton, Ontario.
4) When was your company founded:
The sweaters were being sold locally in Hamilton a few years before OYS came to be. OYS has only officially been around for just over a year.
5) Why did you feel inspired to create your company:
The inspiration came from a brainstorming session with the founder of LOST, Rebecca Taube. We were trying to think of a way to raise money for the charity and raise awareness at the same time. The original sweater YOGA, DOGS & MENTAL HEALTH had been around for a while and had been designed by one of the volunteers at LOST.
6) What do you love most about running your company:
We feel that the clothing is actually making a difference by helping to get more conversations started and increase awareness around mental health and mental illnesses. The point is that we all have mental health and we should not be ashamed if we are struggling. There should not be a stigma attached to it mental health or mental illness because that just gives it power.
By owning that we may need to work on our mental health or that we are struggling with something makes it a little easier to cope, or at least that is what I have found. No one wants to feel like they are the only ones dealing with something negative in a time (society) where we only talk about or share our highs and never our lows.
7) If you could have one person from history or fiction wearing your clothing/accessories, who would it be:
I think the point of this is that mental health and mental illness can affect ANYONE. Factors such as age, gender, social status, religion, political views, living situation, or background does not change the chances of a diagnosis or struggles. So, possibly Robin Williams: A celebrity who was ALWAYS portrayed as being happy and made a living from getting others to laugh was struggling to the point he took his own life. If we all could view mental health + mental illness the same as physical health + physical illness, help would be a lot more realistic and accessible. But we aren't quite there yet.
