M&S launches young designer competition with YoungMinds

M&S has announced a competition in collaboration with YoungMinds for young people to create a winning design for this year’s M&S and YoungMinds Hello Yellow kidswear collection.

Every year for Hello Yellow, which marks World Mental Health Day on 10th October, YoungMinds calls on teachers, pupils, parents and colleagues to wear yellow on the day, to show young people that they are not alone with their mental health.

This year the competition invites young people across the UK to design a sweatshirt or hoodie that will be sold in M&S stores across the UK and online. All profits will be donated to YoungMinds to help more young people feel supported with their mental health.

There are two age categories for the competition – 5-11 and 12-16 year olds – and one winner will be chosen from each age category.

The winners, along with their guardian, will get exclusive behind the scenes access to see their ideas become a reality, with their designs included in the M&S x YoungMinds Hello Yellow range 2025 available at M&S this autumn. They will be invited to visit the M&S support centre in London to see their design turned into the artwork, visit the supplier factory in the Midlands to see the products being printed, and be part of the launch in September.

The winner will also receive enough sweatshirts or hoodies featuring the winning design for everyone in their class to wear on Hello Yellow.  

Launched in October 2023, the partnership aims to raise £5 million over three years. This will enable YoungMinds to double its reach to support seven million young people and the adults in their lives through easy to access online resources and its dedicated Parents Helpline.    

Victoria McKenzie-Gould, corporate affairs director at M&S, said: “With the incredible support of our colleagues and customers, we’re proud to have raised over £3m in just over one year to support young people’s mental health. Together with YoungMinds, we’re building a coalition of the hopeful and showing young people they’re never alone and there is support available when they need it most. 

“We’re launching our design competition during Children’s Mental Health Week to raise further awareness of this issue and the support YoungMinds can offer across the country. We want as many young people as possible to get involved in our design competition and for everyone to think about how they can support a friend or young person who might be struggling. It’s crucial that we get everyone thinking about how they can support the young people in their lives, because together, we’ve got this.”  

Laura Bunt, chief executive of YoungMinds, added: “We are so grateful to all the incredible support we have received from the inspiring M&S colleagues and customers. Young people are struggling with their mental health more than ever before, and through our work together we can show them that they are not alone. 

“We are so excited to see the designs from this competition and we hope that as many young people as possible get creative and get involved. We want Hello Yellow this year to be our biggest yet and we are thankful to all of you that want to be part of it.”