AE: What initially inspired you to work with Madhappy? MM: “I had never seen a brand have a mission focused solely on mental health, and that completely invigorated and inspired me. I have been scouring the Internet for years trying to find anyone who was willing to openly and honestly talk about mental health, and make it coolto do so–Madhappy was the first brand I found. I knew from there, it would be a dream to work on this mental health mission together.” AE: Can you tell us a little bit about “The Local Optimist” and its connection to Madhappy? MM: “Madhappy’s mission is to make the world a more optimistic place and to create a conversation around mental health. ‘The Local Optimist’ is Madhappy’s mental health resource and blog to do just that. It’s where anything and everything mental health-driven stems from. We conduct interviews, host events (formerly in person, now virtually), report stories, make toolkits, all surrounding mental health and wellness. We also have our own Local Optimist Hotline! W e created the hotline to offer a free peer support and referral texting service to our community. We provide general information on mental health topics, guide people towards great resources, give encouragement and provide an empathetic ear.” AE: What would you say the goal of “The Local Optimist” is? MM: “The goal of ‘The Local Optimist’ is to raise awareness, educate, provide resources and uplift the community.” AE: How do you see “The Local Optimist” expanding in the future? MM: “‘The Local Optimist’ is just 1-year-old! We’ve already grown somuchwithin a year, but we are really enjoying this time because we get to be experimental in how we expand. Our team loves to try out new and unique ways to connect with our community and find overlaps within our everyday lives and our mental wellness. We have some great things coming in the future. ‘The Local Optimist’ is working on even more playlists, movie recommendations and toolkits to better our community further.” AE: How do you think we can work on prioritizing mental health in the fashion industry? MM: “I truly believe fashion can be used as a wellness tool and that brands are just starting to uncover this as mental health became much less stigmatized over this past year. From digital campaigns to partnering with professionals, to creating garments that are more body and gender inclusive–there are endless possibilities for the overlap of fashion and mental health. Particularly now in a time where brands and influencers have such a large influence over our culture, those leading the way uplift the greater community. They help create future generations of people who want more than something ‘cool.’” •
Find Madhappy at @madhappy on Instagram.
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