Empire xxvi
Stuart Macmichael is the man behind the brand. Raised in a small town in Tasmania and with a background in mining and getting his hands dirty he never saw himself as someone that needed much help.
Moving to Perth he started to feel isolated and spiraled into a Drift (sorry mining term, look it up). In a dark place he didn’t know where to turn.
“I’ve always been a positive person so I thought I could beat it. It slowly got worse and worse to a point where it was scaring me. I knew it wasn’t me I kept telling myself “this isn’t me, get out of my head” but it was like something had a hold of me. One night every time I shut my eyes all I could vision was walking into the ocean until it took me. I broke down and reached out to close friends and family and admitted I needed help.
My sister got me to go to a doctor and get the help that I needed”.
Launching Empire xxvi which was not only a dream of his but a way in which he could reach out and help others.
“This brand has been a dream of mine for a long time and to be finally doing it is an incredible feeling, having the courage to follow my dreams wouldn’t have come with out the massive influx of support. If we stick together and help each other we can accomplish huge thing’s, we can rise above our pain and we can build empires”.
With the brands slogan “Rise Above” Stuart helps to spread the message that we all need to reach out if we need it and rise above the stigma attached to seeking help.
He provides an open chat on his website that allows people to direct message him and his family if they need help, information on other avenues of support or just someone to talk to.
On each garment we have added a little reminder that even in the smallest way, we hope that it gives you the courage to reach out, to push through and rise above.