The Story Matters Most

Over the past few years, we have noticed that Like Charlie really moves people. Not only by asking for more attention around mental health, but especially by starting and continuing the conversation about it. We have seen that when you bring a heavy topic in a cool, positive, and approachable way, it suddenly becomes easier to talk about. And that is exactly how Like Charlie wants to make an impact.

And that impact is still needed. The numbers speak for themselves. In March 2024, 1 in 3 young people experienced mental health struggles. The Dutch government also states that more than 1 in 3 young people deal with mental health issues. That is why we keep doing what we do: breaking stigmas and taboos so there can be more openness and connection around mental health.

Three themes, three story prints

Within Like Charlie, there are three topics that come up especially often because they are recognisable for so many people: Social Pressure, Future Perspective, and Doubt. Three different themes, with three different stories. And for each topic, a separate T shirt print was created.

Not to solve everything through clothing, but to make it visible. So it becomes easier to start the conversation. Or so you can recognise yourself in it and think: I’m not the only one.

View all story print T shirts

What we do besides clothing

Our pieces feature colourful illustrations, stories, and inspiring quotes, always presented in a cool, positive, and approachable way. But Like Charlie goes beyond clothing.

We visit secondary schools to introduce young people to mental health in an accessible way. At the moment, we do not yet have a dedicated page for this. Would you like Like Charlie to visit your school, or would you like to request a workshop? Send an email to management@likecharlieclothing.com.

We have also developed a question card game to encourage open conversations.
Discover the question card game

And we donate 5% of our profit to the MIND Us foundation. MIND Us works towards the healthy development of young people, helping them become more resilient and gain more control over their mental health.
Read more about MIND Us

Why blogs

Why blogs? Because we notice that many people do feel that mental health matters, but are sometimes still looking for words, recognition, or new insights. With these blogs, we want to help you reflect on different topics and offer something you can actually use. Most of the blogs will be informative, but always in a way that feels close and personal.

By bringing up different topics more often, we hope they start to feel more normal, making the conversation around them easier. And we also hope to inspire you, because we are convinced there will be topics in here that you find interesting or that you recognise yourself in.

My motivation

I started Like Charlie from a personal need.

Owner Jurren:
"I also struggled with my mental health for years, and during that period I was not able to talk about it. Thankfully, I later experienced that openness leads to improvement, and during that journey my deep motivation for Like Charlie was born."

Who is Charlie?

In different prints, we tell stories about mental health through a character: Charlie. It is a unisex and international name, so everyone can recognise themselves in the character.

Charlie wears expressive clothing and has a striking hairstyle. Charlie is fully themselves and thinks it is cool to do things a little differently. That is why it can be: Like Charlie. You can see this reflected in the story prints.

Read our story

In closing

To close this first blog, we would like to remind you of something simple: do what you truly want to do. Do not overthink what other people might think of you, because that mainly holds you back.

One final question: is there a topic you think we should write a blog about? Feel free to let us know by replying to this blog or by sending an email to management@likecharlieclothing.com.

Jurren van der Gun
Like Charlie

Sources

RIVM, Quarterly youth survey, measurement 11 (March 2024)
Dutch government, Mental health (more than 1 in 3 young people)
MIND Us, approach and mission

Helpful resources you can share

Young people: In je bol (ages 16 to 27)
Adults: MIND and the MIND Helpline