You Good Mate started with something simple — looking out for each other.
We come from a family of tradies and blue-collar workers, surrounded by mates, family and people who work hard, get on with the job and often put everyone else first.
But we’ve also seen the other side.
We’ve felt the heartbreak of losing people to suicide. We’ve watched family, friends and people we care about navigate their own mental health challenges. And we’ve seen how easy it can be for someone to say “I’m fine” when they’re anything but.
That’s why we created You Good Mate.
We believe we need to bring back a bit of that Aussie way of looking out for one another — checking in, lending a hand, having a yarn and being there through the good days and the bloody hard ones.
Not trying to fix everyone. Not pretending we always have the answers.
Just being there. Our clothing is designed to be a conversation starter. A simple reminder that asking “You good, mate?” can open the door to a conversation someone might really need.
We want to encourage everyday people to support everyday people — on the worksite, at the pub, on the sporting field, at school, at home and everywhere in between.
Because sometimes one question leads to one conversation. And one conversation can change a life.
We’re here to help normalise talking about what’s going on, encourage people to reach out when they need to, and support organisations and programs doing the important work in mental health prevention, education and intervention.
Wear a shirt. Start a conversation. Have your mate’s back.
That’s what You Good Mate is all about.
One conversation at a time.