Back in 2019, our @activelyblack Team member @lamont_tory created a brand called @struggleiscommon after a childhood friend died from his battle with depression and addiction. @lamont_tory created a sweatshirt that was sold in part to help pay funeral expenses and to honor his friend. But even moreso, he wanted to encourage others to know that we are all going through something and if we can reach out for help, face our struggles head on, and focus on our mental health, we can set ourselves FREE. After being photographed wearing his sweatshirt with some high profile celebrities who have ties to Balenciaga, @balenciaga stole the exact concept and released it for 20 times the price. For the inevitable comments from those who wont understand, this is NOT about the word FREE. Regardless of the design, the over arching issue of European/Designer brands stealing from Black creators without credit, compensation or acknowledgement has been running rampant. They know most people don’t have the financial resources to fight the legal battles and they take advantage of these creators. Colonialism in another form. We decided to collaborate with our brother @lamont_tory and manufacture the sweatshirt through @activelyblack. A portion of proceeds are being donated to organizations that deal directly with Black mental health and social justice. The rest of the proceeds are going to the Black creator who deserves it. Behind the scenes there is some movement legally to address this issue with Balenciaga. But we aren’t waiting for anybody. Instead, we can support our own and make a statement that our culture cannot continue to be stolen and then resold to us from these brands that don’t care anything about the people. Link in our bio #ActivelyBlack #LamontTory #StruggleIsCommon