Deviate is excited to announce their partnership with the Sean Anderson Foundation (SAF) and the Boys & Girls Club of SE Michigan (BGCSM) to launch their Spring/Summer 2021 campaign, called “Hero’s Journey,” to raise awareness surrounding mental health illness and provide access to supportive resources for the Detroit community. “Hero’s Journey” focuses on ​real​, inspirational stories from individuals highlighting their experience with mental health, identity and self-acceptance. 

“This is an emotional and relatable collection aimed at removing the stigma surrounding mental health. The collection is inspired by a trauma victim’s healing process, and how that galvanizing journey leads to their superpower. The partnership with SAF and BGCSM will bring mental health resources to the youth in our community, and it allows us to do more through fashion,” said Kelsey Tucker, Creative Director of Deviate.   

“The Sean Anderson Foundation is honored to be partnering with Deviate and the Boys & Girls Clubs of SE Michigan regarding mental health. This is a subject near and dear to our hearts and we look forward to helping raise awareness around this vitally important topic.” – Sean Anderson Foundation

"BGCSM has always made the mental health of our youth a top priority. We hold our clubs as a safe space for all youth and give them multiple outlets for expression and the collaboration with Deviate is an extension of that. We are proud of this project and can't wait to continue the conversation around youth mental health." – Boys & Girls Club of SE Michigan

The campaign will run through the month of May to support Mental Health Awareness month.  Deviate is offering a unisex, crossbody “Affirmation Bag” with your choice of three removable embroidered patches of affirmations on each bag; colors and affirmation patches will change to correspond with the three Spring/Summer collection drops. 

Retailing at $29 and available at deviatefashion.com, 50% of Affirmation Bag proceeds will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of SE Michigan to support their Mental Health program. 

Deviate’s 60-piece Spring/Summer 2021 collection will also be sold on their website and in select retailers. The release of five videos inspired by severe trauma and one’s journey to recovery, will coincide with Deviate’s Spring/Summer 2021 Collection called “The Real,'' which symbolizes the phases a trauma victim experiences during the healing process – Inflammatory, Warrior, Remodeling.

Affirmation Bag, $29

 

 

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE COLLECTION "THE REAL":

 

Deviate’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection called The Real is inspired by the human ability to recover from severe trauma; the collection explores the three phases of healing: inflammatory, warrior, remodeling. Experiencing loss, fear, helplessness, and isolation and working through uncomfortability to uncover a newfound strength is a key message from Deviate’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection. Deviate chose to explore trauma and therapy during a global pandemic to capture the fearful sentiment of an entire population while leaving behind a gentle reminder of hope. A human-centric collection, each piece reflects the true stories of real people’s traumatic experiences and how they recovered. The use of symbolism, unisex elements, and profound meaning behind each design are intentionally conceptualized throughout the collection. 

 

The collection is made up of three parts corresponding to the three phases of the healing process. The inflammatory phase occurs when trauma victims release and feel every emotion, no matter how unbearable. The Warrior phase occurs when trauma victims regain the strength to begin building up new walls to protect themselves from negative emotions. Finally, the remodeling phase is the restoration of healthy function; the trauma victims will never be the same, but they are whole again.