Rutu King-Hazel and her late brother Whero used to make clothes together, working through the night to shape a garment, with King-Hazel serving as the mannequin.
Whoro was a gifted seamstress: he made ball gowns for clients in Wellington and entered a creation into the world of wearable arts.
But all that talent was tragically lost 10 years ago when Whero took his own life at the age of 21.
“He was the kindest, most selfless person I knew,” King-Hazel said. She remembers how big of a heart she was, how she was always the life and soul of the party.
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King-Hazel (Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāi Tahu, Te Atiawa, Tūhoe) also lost her father to suicide when she was 10 years old.
The question that consumed her after these losses was “why?”, which King-Hazel explored in her YouTube video at losing a loved one.
“I’ve learned that it’s normal to play this question over and over in your head,” he said.
“We are wired to find answers, especially when traumatic things happen to us, and to be honest, there is no simple answer to this… I have learned to accept the unresolved answers in my heart.”
In the wake of Whero’s death, King-Hazel and her whānau felt called to action.
“As a creative family, we were sitting there looking at all their clothes and dresses, and we were thinking, ‘well, we’re not that talented. We can’t sew and do all these things,’” King-Hazel recalled.
“We thought, how can we honor his life and spread the message of hope?”
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Mikayla Stanbridge-Brien, Laura Phipps, Rutu King-Hazel and Lara Tutty model Hope are my Homeboy hoodies.
The whānau decided to create a clothing brand, Hope is my Homeboy, in 2012 to spread that message.
Clothes and fashion “gave my brother purpose and joy, so it felt good to do something with that element attached to it,” King-Hazel said.
The venture was a success: Mike King wore the hoodies around New Zealand to promote mental health on tour, but the grief gripped the family, who needed time to get over their loss.
“We shut it down a little bit in the last couple of years to just heal, process and gather,” King-Hazel said.
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“I went through a stage where I needed to recover and deal with the pain… it’s a beautiful thing once you’re healed or in a good place to pass it on.”
Now, she says, she is in a better space and in a better position to get involved and help and support other people struggling with their mental health.
This month, King-Hazel is clothing collection relaunch to raise funds for mental health and suicide prevention, with all proceeds going to Mike King’s I AM HOPE foundation, which helps pay counseling fees for young people who cannot afford them.
The hoodies and sweatpants are bought ready, but Nelson-based King-Hazel does the heat-pressing, design, sizing and production herself, with support from the Suicide Prevention Fund of the Maori community of Te Rau Ora.
He has also received help from companies that have offered promotions, discounts or free services, such as Courier NZ, Ambitious IT, Branding NZ, Oxygen IT, Lumiere NZ and Afterpay.
Through his brand, he hopes to “remind people to slow down and be present and just be there”, checking in on one another, calling a friend, calling a family member and asking ‘how are you?’ and how are you? Really?’
“Just listening, and not necessarily coming up with solutions or any kind of stuff like that. It’s more about being there.”
Where to get help
- 1737, do you need to talk? Call toll-free or text 1737 to speak with a trained counselor.
- anxiety new zealand 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389)
- depression.org.nz 0800 111 757 or text 4202
- kids line 0800 54 37 54 for people up to 18 years old. Open 24/7.
- Life line 0800 543 354
- Mental Health Foundation 09 623 4812, Click here to access their free resource and information service.
- Rural Support Trust 0800 787 254
- samaritans 0800 726 666
- Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- yellow cobblestone road 0800 732 825
- thelowdown.co.nz Web chat, email chat or free text 5626
- What’s happening 0800 942 8787 (for young people from 5 to 18 years old). Phone counseling available Monday through Friday from noon to 11 pm and weekends from 3 pm to 11 pm Online chat is available from 3 pm to 10 pm daily.
- youth line 0800 376 633, free text 234, email [email protected] find online chat and other support options here.
- If it’s an emergency, Click here to find the number of your local crisis assessment team.
- In a life-threatening situation, call 111.
