Kenneth Cole, Sesame Workshop Support Mental Health

To close out the brand’s 40th anniversary year, Kenneth Cole has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit organization behind “Sesame Street,” aiming to support young children’s and families’ mental health and emotional well-being.

Under the overarching concept of “Here for You on Sunny Days, and Cloudy Ones, Too,” the unisex capsule collection for kids and adults includes hoodies and T-shirts featuring graphics, phrases and imagery, such as “It’s OK to be Grouchy,” “Share Cookies, Share Kindness” and “Elmo Has Sad Days Too.” Acclaimed footwear designer, Alexander John Studios, designed the white canvas sneakers, which come in four colorways, each with accents and embellishments tied to Oscar the Grouch (green), Cookie Monster (blue), Elmo (red) and Count von Count (purple).

“As a father, a designer and founder of the Mental Health Coalition, it was a natural fit for the brand to collaborate with the renowned and respected Sesame Workshop,” says Kenneth Cole, chairman, chief creative officer, co-founder, Mental Health Coalition, and founder, Kenneth Cole. “As founder and chairman of MHC, focusing on projects through a lens of mental health has been really important to me, and the Sesame Workshop team feels equally as strongly about taking on the stigma associated with seeking support for children’s mental health and providing supportive resources. Together, we have created an impactful collection that helps to raise awareness around children’s emotional well-being.”

Related:Sesame Workshop: Smarter and Stronger

In celebration of the collection, The Kenneth Cole Foundation has donated to support Sesame Workshop’s emotional well-being initiative and is supporting causes that help destigmatize mental health.

Earlier this year, Sesame Workshop announced a new organization-wide focus supporting young children’s and their families’ emotional well-being.

“Responding to the growing mental health crisis of young children, Sesame Workshop is addressing this critical need through a wide range of activities and engaging content to help children develop the essential skills they need to understand and manage their feelings,” says Sherrie Westin, president, Sesame Workshop. “We are proud to collaborate with Kenneth Cole to help give voice to this important topic.” 

Earlier this month, Sesame Workshop exemplified what it means to evolve in an ever-changing world while staying true to its core values.