Kenneth Cole is partnering with illustrator and designer Sophia Chang on a capsule to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month and Mother’s Day.
As a working mom striving to find balance in her life, Chang is, literally, drawing attention to the importance of maternal mental health and aims to remind every mother to reduce their self-judgment and give themselves the grace they need to raise a happy and healthy family.
“It is a huge honor to be able to work on this collaboration to raise awareness around an experience so personal to me. I had a very difficult postpartum journey, and I wish there was more education for women around that,” Chang said. “We’ve heard of ‘postpartum depression and baby blues,’ but truly what happens to the mind and body after birth? We have so many books and Instagram ads on parenting, breastfeeding, fertility and pregnancy, where are the platforms for the postpartum journey? Let’s make it more mainstream.
“I’m hoping this collection will ignite women to share their most vulnerable stories and amplify the message to bring awareness for mothers’ mental health. To show up for my family, I need to care for my mental well-being first and foremost,” she said.
Chang, a Taiwanese American, is also excited that the collection is also launching during AAPI Heritage Month.
One-hundred percent of net proceeds will be donated to the Kenneth Cole Foundation in support of mental health efforts.
Asked how they got together, Kenneth Cole, founder and chief creative officer of Kenneth Cole Productions, said, “Sophia has a footwear background and believed she could infuse a relevant and dynamic aesthetic into our product. As a working mom striving to find balance in her life, Sophia draws attention to the importance of maternal mental health and wants to remind every mom to reduce their self-judgment and give themselves the grace they need to raise a happy and health family. I am proud to partner with Sophia to create this capsule collection in celebration of all the moms out there.”
The collection includes an adult hoodie and T-shirt, retailing for $80 and $45 respectively, as well as a kids’ T-shirt for $40, an adult sneaker for $150 and a kids’ sneaker for $95.
Products are available starting today exclusively on kennethcole.com.
All Kenneth Cole x Sophia Chang T-shirt orders come with fabric markets as a gift with purchase so customers can personalize their gear and express their own creativity and individuality.
