In a season of open-toed sandals and open conversations, Kenneth Cole Productions and Larroudé have joined forces on “The Mindful Collection,” a limited-edition spring footwear capsule that invites wearers to pause, reflect, and speak up about mental health. Launching ahead of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the three-silhouette line—a clog, a sandal, and a mule—arrives in croc-embossed dark oak, patent and napa ivory, and maya blue, with gold hardware catching the light like a quiet exhale. Twenty percent of proceeds will benefit The Mental Health Coalition, an organization cofounded by Kenneth Cole in 2020 to expand access to resources and dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health. Cole, who first turned his shoe business into a platform for social commentary in the 1980s with provocative ads addressing AIDS and homelessness, noted: “The only thing better than one purposeful shoe brand committed to supporting mental health is a pair of them. Because we believe that what you stand for is often more important than what you stand in.” Marina Larroudé, whose eponymous label has reimagined the modern mule with a playful, fashion-forward sensibility, called Cole “a true icon” and shared that the collaboration gave her the confidence to speak publicly about her own mental health journey for the first time. She has also been named a Champion of The Mental Health Coalition, joining a collective of creators using storytelling to destigmatize emotional well-being. This partnership follows Cole’s recent collaboration with Lingua Franca on a free-speech-themed collection, and Larroudé’s whimsical bridal capsule with Tanner Fletcher. Both brands remind us that fashion can be more than a second skin—it can be a first step toward change.
Originally reported by WWD