"Look after your mates" is the message behind an Albury woman’s clothing line helping to break stigma around mental health and raise money for charity.
LAYM Clothing – which stands for look after your mates - is the brainchild of Ingrid Mol, who has raised almost $3000 for charity through the sales of shirts, hoodies, stubby holders, stickers and more.
Ingrid mostly sells her merchandise online but has held the occasional pop-up stores, donating half the profits to MensLine Australia to help Aussie blokes get mental health support.
Mental health is a topic close to Ingrid’s heart.
At just 24 years old, Ingrid has lost through suicide many close friends who were like family to her.
“I have lost school mates, co-workers, and very good friends to suicide,” she said.
“LAYM clothing was something I had always thought about doing but after the local community lost multiple young men in a very short time, I decided to I wanted to try and make a difference.”
Rewind to 2019 and LAYM clothing was launched in the hope to honour those she had lost and remind people to “look after your mates”.
“A simple phone call or conversation can literally save a life,” Ingrid said.
Although first launching in 2019, the global pandemic meant the clothing business had to go into hibernation while Ingrid navigated being a hospitality worker during border closures and lockdowns.
In 2021, the loss of another close friend sparked the creation of “Kate’s Tee” - with the motto "keep going, keep growing" printed on the front - to raise money for headspace Albury-Wodonga.
Ingrid described it as a bittersweet moment as the shirt raised more than $500 thanks to the huge community support and love for Kate.
The clothing brand is spreading its message far and wide.
Its merchandise has reached all the way from Albury to far North Queensland, Turkey and even Argentina
Ingrid loves to help others in the community whenever she can and one day hopes to have a shopfront in town.
You can check out the merchandise available by visiting laymclothingstore.deco-threads.com
Follow Ingrid on Facebook at LAYM clothing and stay tuned for more designs coming soon.