Debut

August 16, 2020

What is the word “Smileage” you may ask? It can be seen as a metaphor for either a car or a runner. As we like to say “put in that mileage”. Add an [s] in front of that and you get “smile”, hence our hashtag “Put In That Smileage”. Which is why at the end of the day we should always ask ourselves, how much “smileage” have I put in?

We are excited to start our blog, which will give insight into our perspective of cultivating a healthy mindset. Since this is our first blog, we want to introduce y’all to who we are, our fast come up, and our first event.

In December of 2019, the idea of [s]mileage arose, stemming from two students who wanted to help others who fight the same battle they do. The constant everlasting fight with our mental and physical well-being.

A month later, [s]mileage opened their first pop-up shop through an event hosted by Stella’s Place called the Sunflower Showcase.

The event took place in Stella’s Place’s new building (that is under planning) giving excitement to the bigger space that is on its way!

This gave us our first opportunity to sell our merch face-to-face to the public as supposed to our e-commerce and word-of-mouth approach. More importantly, it gave us a platform to personally speak our message and introduce [s]mileage and the mission to the mental health community.

In the first 2 weeks of [s]mileage’s existence, we had already sold out of all our OG shirts (Alex’s shirt on the right). With the winter present, we had come out with long sleeves and toques to sell.

We also had the pleasure to mingle with the founders of other mental health companies such as CreateBeing and Milk Shay, who were both inspiring beyond words.

The Showcase touched all levels and covered so much ground in the mental health world, and shined light on its branches.

We had the opportunity to listen to a Jack.org representative speak about who made an excellent presentation on youth mental health in Canada.

The film Purple Waves, created by Ryerson Students, gave a realistic and profound representation of mental illnesses and the struggles that also emit from them.

A panel discussion MC’ed by Asante Haughton with speakers like Jessica Taylor Regan. Answering questions for the public to openly discuss and examine the far-reaching impacts of mental illness, specifically anxiety and depression. This provided a safe space to be open and raw about our experiences, allowing the public to come to a greater understanding of what it is to be or love someone who is mentally ill.

Closing the event, was an impeccable live spoken word dedicated to this event from Sydellia Ndiaye that left us all feeling as vulnerable as she did.

Finally, we would like to say a huge thank you back to the creators of this beautiful event, Sarah Nicole Rowe, and Lauren Saarimaki. They welcomed us as merchants and supporters of their event.

Thank you for giving the young company that is [s]mileage a proud and impactful platform to blossom.