A young Londoner has launched a clothing brand in a bid to encourage conversation about men's mental health.
Kyle Stanger, 22, started selling t-shirts with the slogan "Boys Get Sad Too" after putting samples up on Facebook in July 2018.
One year on, he is running the clothing brand full-time with 29 products and more on the way.
Mr Stanger has built a community of customers with London Mayor Sadiq Khan also among those praising the brand.
He told the Standard. "The brand is building into a community of people sharing the same goal - putting an end to the stigma of talking about mental health.”
Mr Stanger added that the aim is "personally connecting with as many like-minded people as possible."
Customers are constantly asking if the designs are just a “fashion thing” or if there is substance behind it, he said, adding: "It really sparks that conversation."
Mr Stanger grew up in Putney with his school teacher father, who suffered from depression.
He said dealing with mental health in an immediate family member meant he had to “muck in” from a young age.
"I would not be doing what I'm doing had we not all brought him through it," he added.
"And he was also an amazing advocate for mental health and talking about your feelings."
Mr Stanger worked as an actor and model from childhood, starring as the voice for Lumpy the Elephant in the TV adaption of Winnie The Pooh.
His creative and entrepreneurial instincts meant he did not sit well in a classroom.
He ended up failing Year 12 before going into the entertainment industry full-time.
"It came to the point when I was 17-years-old and I could not come to terms with all the emotions that had built up over the years," he said.
"I realised I needed to just talk about things that had happened and get them out of my system."
He began talking therapy after being diagnosed with functioning anxiety and low mood.
One day he saw a random line he had written in the notepad where he constantly jots down ideas - “Boys Get Sad Too”.
He drew up t-shirt samples with the slogan and put them on Facebook.
They sold fast and he quickly put the money back into making more designs and building a website.
Six months ago, the business had grown to the point that Mr Stanger decided to work at it full time.
He has now shipped orders all over the world, from Australia and Israel to Canada and Denmark.
One of his customers even messaged to say that he was treating himself to a BGST t-shirt with his first paycheck in celebration of his new job after he had just pulled himself out of a dark place.
“It was worth a million messages,” Mr Stanger said. "This brand is helping so many people and it's also helping me. It has given me more purpose.
“It opens up that conversation and helps people feel less embarrassed or ashamed. “
Next he hopes to launch a London pop-up store in order to talk to more customers face-to-face, as well as getting featured in a big outlet.
