Since its founding ten years ago, Rhone has been working to remove the stigma of mental health issues. And now, in its biggest initiative yet, the brand is teaming up with NBA All-Star Kevin Love on a campaign aimed at raising awareness for both mental and physical health.
The campaign, which launches on Tuesday, aims to encourage viewers to prioritize their mental health. Love, a power forward for the Miami Heat, suffered a public panic attack during a game and has since spoken openly about his challenges with anxiety. To address this issue, he founded the Kevin Love Fund, a nonprofit organization to encourage people to build equity in mental and physical health.
“Kevin was the first athlete in my memory who spoke openly about his mental health challenges,” Rhone CEO Nate Checketts said. “From the outside looking in, he looks like he has it all,” but beneath the surface, Love was “honest and raw” about his struggles to perform at the highest level of the sport.
This ties in with Checketts’ observation that it’s especially difficult for men, the activewear-turned-lifestyle brand’s main market, to admit to insecurity and self-doubt.
“A great brand needs to represent something,” Checketts says. “That’s a lesson I learned from my parents.” His father is a professional athlete and his mother is a family therapist. So dealing with mental health issues was part of his life as a child, and he brought that same mission to the Rhône.
“We call it mental fitness,” Checketts says. He said athletes are trained to ignore aches and pains in the quest to be “stronger, faster, stronger,” but often address potential injuries before they threaten their careers. He said it was better.
The same goes for mental health. “You have to train your mind as well,” he said. “When we made it okay to talk about things, we saw tangible results.”
As a result, it was natural to team up with Love. “I can’t think of a better athlete than Kevin,” he said.
“We are proud to partner with Rhone in our shared commitment to highlighting the importance of mental health,” said Love. “Physical fitness is always a top priority for athletes, but mental fitness is just as important to success on and off the court.Together with Rhone, we are working to break down the stigma around mental health and treat mind and body equally. We work to show that true strength comes from caring.”
The NBA is also participating. Checketts said he’s seen NBA commissioner Adam Silver mention mental health, adding that in the past, players would play cards, talk or go to dinner with teammates on the road. That’s what it means. But now they all sit alone, wearing headsets and staying in their hotels to protect their privacy. But such habits can also lead to isolation.
“The NBA is a very progressive league in caring for the mental health of its players,” Checketts said.
As part of the deal with the NBA, Rhone will create custom content for the NBA Fitness Platform, an app focused on health and fitness. Checketts said the app is in its early stages and offers videos and stories that go far beyond training tips. It includes a section on mind health that addresses issues such as nutrition, sleep, breathing techniques, journaling, and other ideas to improve your mental health.
As part of the partnership, Rhone’s commuter shirt, which features a classic silhouette with breathable, wrinkle-resistant and stretch properties, will also become the NBA’s official dress shirt, Checketts said. To that end, Rhone plans to produce dress shirts featuring the NBA and team logos. “It’s a great gift opportunity for the players, coaches and staff,” he said.
The shirt is also expected to appeal to executives who watch NBA games. “More than 70 percent of season tickets are held by the organization,” Checketts said. “They’re using the game as an opportunity to acquire customers, and we want to show they love their team but still look sharp.”
“Rhone has introduced innovative products and new categories to the league that adequately support the NBA’s active fan base,” said NBA Head of Apparel and Sporting Goods Lisa Picken Kopel. “Our collaboration with Rhone is born out of a shared mission to help people improve their physical and mental health, and we look forward to building on that goal through Rhone’s custom content across NBA Fitness.”
Rhone, founded by Nate Checketts and his brother Ben, operates 15 stores across the United States and expanded into women’s clothing earlier this year.
