Sad Boy The Brand

A passion of art and design purposed with the mission of creating greater awareness and support for men’s mental health needs.

In the beginning of 2022 a collaboration was started as a personal reaction to tragedy close to home. Mental health, especially in men, has made strides over the past decade, but it is still under-represented.

It remains a taboo topic, largely due to generalized gender norms in society. Acknowledgement for this need for help is often self-stifled because of a fear of judgement and the correlation of a mental health condition as a weakness or flaw.

In the US, 132 people take their lives each day (3.5 x’s more likely for men to take their lives than women). Suicide is the 7th leading cause of death in males in the US and the 2nd leading cause of death in males 10-34 years old (CDC, 2019).

Sad Boy is not only a clothing brand, but an access point to a community of support and awareness, rallying around a cause. It is a launching platform for conversation around the fact that mental illness takes on not only a toll on the individual, but acknowledges the effects that ripple out to everyone.

There are men and boys, some in a very private way, walking through their lives in despair, carrying the burdensome weight of an internal battle. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know there is a community of support.

Sad Boy and XXV the Label are pledging a percentage of every sale to The Christopher Barkley Foundation. This foundation is set up, in conjunction with national organizations, supporting mental health initiatives and assisting those affected by mental illnesses.

Buy a shirt. Do some good.