MR PORTER partners with The Movember Foundation to address men’s mental health
MR PORTER may be known as the leading destination for men’s style, but we understand that looking good on the outside doesn’t count for much if you don’t feel good on the inside. That’s why, alongside regular style advice and trend reports, we have also published a steady stream of content on personal relationships, careers, health and body image over the years.
But we always knew we could do more. So, in 2019, we founded MR PORTER Health In Mind, a fundraising and awareness campaign dedicated to helping men lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Along with making a formal commitment to spending more time discussing the issues facing men today, we also pledged to raise money for men’s mental and physical health initiatives.
Rather than go through the process of building our own fund from scratch, we decided to partner with one of the biggest names in men’s health, The Movember Foundation. In October 2019, we launched the MR PORTER Health In Mind Fund powered by Movember. Through this charitable partnership, we have been able to fund a number of vital causes, including those providing support for first responders.
It has also allowed us the opportunity to collaborate with The Movember Foundation on a broad programme of editorial content. Since MR PORTER Health In Mind launched we have published dozens of written guides on everything from reconnecting with estranged relatives to taking a mindful approach to exercise and tackling paternal post-natal depression.
A selection of these guides can be found in The MR PORTER Guide To A Better Day, a book compiled by the team MR PORTER and published by Thames and Hudson in June 2020. In a chapter entitled Health In Mind, we offer expert advice on topics such as how to talk to your friends about the things that matter, how to get a good night’s sleep, and how to relax in style. 100% of the book’s profits are donated to the MR PORTER Health In Mind Fund.
Why do all of this? Put simply, as a global destination for men’s style, we have the opportunity and a responsibility to do something about it. Men take their own lives at a rate three times higher than that of women. Men are also more likely to die of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. As a result, the average male life expectancy is six years lower than that of women. This is not just a biological issue but a behavioural one, too. Men are reluctant to speak up and slow to seek help. By helping to shift the taboo that still lingers around male mental health, and by funding organisations that provide essential men’s health services, we hope to see this crisis become a thing of the past.
YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP commits to build an inclusive world by continuously accelerating progress and raising awareness on equality and inclusion, through commercial opportunities, financial support and our editorial content. This commitment falls under the People Positive pillar of our Infinity strategy.