Taylor Draper has always had an eye for fashion. He says his passion stems back to graphic design when he was just a kid. But little did he know that his passion would carry him through the biggest hardship of his life.
Taylor was suffering from anxiety and depression and he wasn’t able to communicate his feelings. He was also struggling to work things out with his wife, and the two were on the verge of divorce. He says the only thing that helped him get through this rough time was his love for designing clothing. He says wearing nice clothes gave him the confidence he needed to save his marriage. What started as Taylor’s passion for fashion and his ability to use it as a coping mechanism has grown to become his business, Inherent Clothier.
“But during that time, the only thing bringing me any sort of confidence in myself or positivity in my life was my clothes because I knew in the morning when I went to put on my suit to go to work, that I was going to conquer the day and it just gave me the confidence to do that and I was able to translate that confidence into being able to show up for therapy and being able to talk about my feelings openly,” said Draper.
“This is a safe space if you want to talk about it. It doesn’t matter where you’re at in your mental health journey. You don’t need to be suffering from depression and anxiety but the whole goal of this brand is to create a community of just a support system,” Draper.
Ten percent of Inherent Clothier’s sales go straight to a non-profit organization that Draper created known as the Inherent Foundation. This foundation is aimed to help men fight their stigma of “being a man,” or “having to man-up.” It also hosts hangouts for men to get together and break this stigma.
Taylor says mental health is often something that gets overlooked and if he will continue to be there for those struggling with anxiety and depression through his work.