Teen retailer Hollister Co. and many digital youth icons honored awareness through pop-up discussions and exclusive merchandise on March 2, which is World Teen Mental Wellness Day.
“We’re interrupting the regularly scheduled programming to talk mental wellness. No filter. No sugarcoating. Let’s normalize feeling all the feelings out loud, together,” announced Hollister’s brightly-colored webpage.
The partnership was a two-pronged approach.
The fashion brand teamed up with Teenager Therapy, a podcast run by high schoolers, to spark talks on mental health awareness among young people.
“I’m not a mental health professional but what I can do is just talk about my experience and hope it helps someone. It’s what my co-hosts [and I] do every day,” said Gael Aitor of Teenager Therapy in the video. Other icons were included to discuss how each of them uses their platform to disrupt the stigma surrounding mental health.
They hosted a group dialogue that included social media influencers like Rebecca Black, Zahra Hashimee, Maggie Thurman, and Jack Wright. The five-part series will surprise select high school students with sessions to normalize conversations about mental health for Gen-Z.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak0NrKVblS4&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=HollisterCo.
Hollister, on the other hand, created an online exclusive line of clothing catering to mental health awareness. They will funnel $10 from the sale of each item in this line to support the Hollister Confidence Fund’s grant-making efforts.
In fact, Hollister partnered with National Day Calendar in 2020 to pin March 2 as World Teen Mental Wellness Day. With grants up to $1 million, the brand aims to boost organizations that cater to uplifting teens and children from underrepresented groups. “We give grants to nonprofit groups & projects focused on areas including teen mental health, equity for young Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC), safety & inclusion for LGBTQ+ youth, anti-bullying efforts & sustainability,” said the website. Some of the first grant-winner include Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Comer Education Campus, and Health Information Project.
Hollister’s collection includes a tote bag and a full-sleeve T-shirt, both with mental awareness branding.
