MARE

01.22.2019

MARE

by MARE

MARE is a fashion label centered on owning struggles, failures, darkness, night’MARE’s and using them to drive success, growth and positivity. We urge our community to take action, pulling oneself out of a negative space and into a positive state. Life ain’t fair, but what are you going to do about it?

The brand MARE was founded during one of the most difficult times of our founder’s life. During July 2017, Leo had lost a best friend and roommate of three years to unexpected heart issues. Simultaneously, he had also ended his longest lasting and most serious relationship. To make matters worse, Leo was also battling depression, while struggling with homelessness and living on his cousins’ couch. These events left Leo spiraling down an emotional chasm. Hurting and confused, he started writing down his thoughts, attempting to catalog his emotions. During this writing therapy, one word kept resurfacing, nightmare. Soon his written words turned into illustrations, illustrations into fashion designs, and designs into a brand ideal that encompassed all of his raw emotions. This was the beginning of MARE.

MARE became the vehicle in which our founder escaped his anxiety and depression. Driven by passion, creation, love, and inspiring others, Leo was able find hope with a new goal, aiding others in their pursuit of personal conquest.

Conquering our minds is the first step in overcoming any situation. Doing so is easier said than done for mental illness sufferers. There’s long been a stigma against mental illness, from society as well as within themselves. People with mental health issues have been thought to be dangerous, weak, difficult to handle and self-inducing their condition by others, while internally, feeling insignificant, crazy, and hopeless. Having dealt with friends who have struggled with various mental issues, stigma makes seeking help difficult. From aiding friends who get anxious in public, to talking others out of suicide, we have experienced the importance of providing a space for sufferers to share thoughts, seek help, and gain information.

In the age of social media, battling mental health issues has only become more difficult. We are constantly shown the “lives” of others and unconsciously comparing them to our own. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Social media has robbed many individuals of happiness with their own lives through comparison, resulting in or accelerating mental illness. Dealing with these issues is especially difficult for the youth who are raised in a “look at me” culture. While building our social media following we would receive follows from users under 18. We found depression, anxiety, and self-harm as the topic of many posts. Despite our efforts to aid these sufferers through encouragement, we knew we could be more effective.

Providing the resources and knowledge necessary is the first step in defeating mental illness. We wanted to work with ADAA because of their focus on providing the correct assistance and mental health information while funding research for advance mental health treatment. We took a look at ADAA’s support group and were blown away by the engagement and quality of assistance each poster received. ADAA has established the type of community that encourages and empowers mental illness sufferers. MARE wants to aid anyone going through mental battles big or small. We believe ADAA is the perfect organization to help us achieve this goal. Not many people understand mental illness. Society tells you it’s just something you go through. However, mental illness left unchecked will continue to fester, creating more issues overtime. Darkness only grows in darkness. Together, ADAA and MARE can illuminate the dark.