Words by Smiley Team
There's now a barber who really takes your feelings into account, in Shoreditch’s latest trend: the therapy barbershop.
Deload, the pop-up barbershop in Shoreditch, London, is an endeavour created by Gymshark – primarily known for its fitness wear, but a brand now making a name for itself for its work in mental health.
For this week only, men can walk into Deload and receive a free haircut, while chatting to the barbers who are trained mental health professionals, as well as hairdressers.
“We want to talk about men’s mental health,” A Gymshark spokesperson told RetailGazette. “We don’t talk about it enough – an awful lot of men are struggling.”
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For some time, Gymshark has been giving mental health advice on Gymshark Deload, in an attempt to make the conversation about mental health more accessible. They particularly focus on men, as they're doing in the Deload barbershop, in an attempt to destigmatise mental health.
Gymshark has partnered with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to help bring the conversation on mental health to the forefront of our lives.
As part of this, Deload is hosting talks across two evenings with partners from CALM, Lions Barbers and Curfew Grooming, as well as Gymshark representatives. These talks will cover topics like ‘Be The Mate You’d Want’ and ‘Building Real Strength’.
“We found that people talk to their barbers more than their doctors than mental health professionals,” the spokesperson added. “So we found this to be an authentic way to create something branded and work with Calm to make a difference for men’s mental health.”
The barbershop is in Shoreditch from 12 to 17 July 2022.
DONATE: Give to CALM to help support their mental health services.
SUPPORT: Fundraise with Lions Barbers to help create a world free from suicide.
