Get well cards for mental health by fashion designer McQueen

Whether you’ve just got a sore throat and some sniffles, or you’re on your back in a hospital bed with your leg up in traction, receiving a few “get well” cards is all part of the illness experience. 

There may be flowers, there may be grapes, but in the absence of these optional extras, a card is often all that’s needed to lift the spirits – even if it just contains bad taste banter from your workmates.

That’s all well and good if you have a physical condition, but what about a mental illness? At a time when sufferers might feel at their most isolated and alone, a card can at least offer the comfort of letting them know someone is thinking of them. No one would claim it’s a panacea, but as a society it seems we currently feel uncomfortable with even this level of thoughtful expression.

It’s with this in mind that the fashion designer Gary James McQueen (above) has created a range of cards specifically designed to help people communicate in this way. Intended both as a contribution to the campaign for more consideration for people with mental illness, and as a tribute to his late uncle, designer Alexander McQueen, the cards form the "Are you OK?" range from online card website Thortful.

McQueen is a long-time sufferer of mental health issues, and says: “During some of my darker days a card from a friend or loved one reaching out to me would have made a difference. It serves as a reminder that someone cares about me and reminds me that someone is there, ready to listen, when I am ready to talk.”

The new cards are based on McQueen’s debut scarf collection, a range that will be showcased at the British Style Collective in Liverpool this month. They include designs inspired by Japanese motifs, carved ivory, and “dark matter and the theory of relativity”, and every penny raised from the cards’ sale will be donated to the Liverpool mental health charity Chasing the Stigma.

The charity, created by suicide survivor Jake Mills, has recently released an app called Hub of Hope that aims to make it easier for people with mental health issues to access help and support. As the UK’s first nationwide mental health database, it identifies the user’s location and shows them where to find assistance close by.

Mills says: “A card acts as an ice-breaker to what can feel like a difficult subject to talk about. It could also be a lifeline in a distressing time and the trigger that helps your friend ask for and accept support. We need to start giving cards to those with mental as well as physical illnesses.”

McQueen’s scarf collection is being debuted at St George’s Hall during the British Style Collective event between July 7-9. He will also be in conversation with Caryn Franklin at the three-day event, formerly known as The Clothes Show. This is the event’s first year in Liverpool since it relocated from its previous home at Birmingham NEC.

Gary James McQueen’s ‘Are You OK?’ cards are available from www.thortful.com/are-you-ok at £2.99 each.