NHS doctor Missagh Fini has launched IAWA, a premium streetwear brand which raises awareness and money for an array of health conditions facing young adults. IAWA, which stands for ‘I Am We Are’ was launched earlier this year as Doctor Fini noticed a steep increase in young patients battling mental health. The brand is a Community Interest Company (CIC) and 100% of profits are donated to charity.

IAWA is split into different collections which will each represent health conditions which are stigmatised within our society. The first released collection focuses on mental health highlighting illnesses such as anxiety and OCD. Future collections will include female reproductive health, eating disorders and childhood disorders, amongst many others.

The collection consists of short sleeved t-shirts, long sleeved t-shirts, sweaters and hoodies. Dr Fini worked closely with leading designers, who have worked on projects for Paul Smith and H&M, to create unique designs which portray the complexity of mental health. Short-sleeved t-shirts are priced at £40, long-sleeved t-shirts at £55, sweaters at £65 and hoodies at £95. 100% of the profit is donated to charity. The charity will directly correlate with what condition is being showcased. For the mental health collection, money is being donated to Mind and YoungMinds charities.

Doctor Missagh Fini, Founder of IAWA, commented: “Over the past year I saw a sharp increase in the volume of young adults and teenagers who were struggling with mental health. Be that because of the COVID lockdowns, the pressure of social media or just the society we live in, there was a startlingly noticeable uptick in the number of patients I was seeing. What’s more, they were getting younger and younger.

As a young doctor, I am passionate about destigmatizing mental health. I am also passionate about streetwear. By offering premium, on-trend collections of t-shirts, sweaters and hoodies I am hoping people will feel empowered to wear their conditions or support those who are struggling. As a CIC (Community Interest Company), 100% of our profits go towards charities supporting the condition we are showcasing.”

Research by Mental Health Foundation reveals that 20% of adolescents may experience mental health problems at any given age but 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16) have a clinically diagnosed mental health problem, yet 70% of children who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a young enough age. This could be due to insufficient treatment options or stigma within our society preventing children voicing concerns they may have.

IAWA’s mental health collection is available to purchase now with future collections to be launched in the coming weeks and months. Short-sleeved t-shirts are priced at £40, long-sleeved t-shirts at £55, sweaters at £65 and hoodies at £95.