Two Kelowna residents have launched a clothing brand dedicated to encouraging men to engage in conversations around mental health.

Austin Penrose and Mahlon Head, both 27, rebranded their company in 2022 and created Friends of Felix.

The clothing company offers unisex items including hoodies, t-shirts, and hats. Each item is branded to encourage conversations.

“The biggest thing that we aim to achieve with the brand itself is simple conversations because that is usually the start of people’s journey with mental health and realizing, ‘Okay… taking it a little bit more seriously or just being a bit more cognizant of it. It starts with those conversations,” Penrose said.

From every purchase, 10 percent of proceeds will be donated to HeadsUpGuys — an organization that’s dedicated to supporting men in their fight against depression.

“Some of our hats… a common phrase we have is… it’s a mental wellness club. We have that on a few of our hats… a few of our crewnecks as well. We find that one gets people to just stop and point and say, ‘Oh, I like your hat or I like your crewneck… what does that mean or what brand is that?’ It can spark that conversation from here.”

Currently, the items are only available to order online.

Penrose says they will be hosting a pop-up shop this weekend at RedBird Brewing.