H&M Man launches UK mental wellness campaign

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Mar 31, 2022

It’s been a positive week for retailers promoting the healthy outdoors as spring officially arrives. In the UK, H&M Man has just launched its ‘Explore Your Nature’ sportswear campaign, fronted by broadcaster Roman Kemp and poet Hussain Manawer.

This follows on from Go Outdoors launching a campaign collaborating with outdoor specialist celebrities Julia Bradbury and Helen Skelton.

But the M&M campaign is different in that it’s a serious “conversation starter, confidence builder and connection maker”. It highlights how sportswear and physical activity “can positively affect mental wellness and mindfulness”. 

H&M has partnered with The Book of Man and suicide prevention charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) for a ready-to-wear capsule collection “with a difference”. 

The Explore Your Nature campaign “aims to redefine the masculine narrative and break down toxic masculinity messaging, as well as mental health stigmas”.   

It focuses on a three-part film highlighting how important it is for men to talk. Mentors including British Black explorer Dwayne Fields, quadriplegic veteran Mark Ormrod and eight men trekked from London to Epping Forest having never met before. The campaign film documents the art of conversation among men and delves into each individual story of every man on the walk – while exploring the great outdoors. 

And that brings us to the accompanying collection “founded with the motivation to move, embrace the outdoors, and start a wellbeing journey through stylish sportswear”. 

Pieces in the collection are designed to be “lightweight, versatile and modular”. Hero pieces include the cargo vest, inspired by fishing vest details, “in an on-trend boxy style with a packable function”, which becomes a wearable cross body bag. Zip off details allow for mix and match pieces, interchangeable with the seasons, creating multi-purpose wardrobe must-haves. Breathable T-shirts and frost micro polar fleece jackets “complete the look for layering pieces that combine fashion with functionality”.

The collection includes recyclable and re-used materials from between 86-100% recycled polyester and Better Cotton Initiative sourced cotton. 

Mark Sandford, co-founder and Commercial Director at The Book of Man, said. “Every now and then a partnership opportunity comes along that cements why ‘The Book of Man’ was set up in the first place – to support men in a truly authentic and relatable way and provide a safe space for men to be themselves. 

“H&M whole-heartedly share our vision that there is more than one way to be a man and that difference should be celebrated. It has been a truly amazing experience to work with H&M and CALM to show that anyone can get outdoors to support their own mental health and reconnect, no matter where they live, where they are from or their walk of life – we are very proud to help make a difference.”

In H&M’s continued commitment to men’s wellbeing, 10% of the sales from the sport hiking range in the UK & Ireland will be donated to Campaign Against Living Miserably.