Lewis Warren’s Takona brand is on a mission to drive mental health awareness through cool clothing, car meets and road trips.

Takona is the name of the fictional company that Lewis devised as a car-mad teenager but instead of making machines he ended up creating road and race car-inspired clobber with an important message: “It’s okay to talk.”

“My mid to late teens was a turbulent time with family stuff that was not very pleasant. And when I got my first car that was where my escape from everything came in. Fortunately for me, it was a classic Mini so it was just the right car for an 18 year old because I could go to car meets and car shows and meet people, and it allowed me to tinker and learn how cars worked,” says Lewis.

Having spent time working in the mental health sector Lewis reckons that “one of the biggest tools was just the ability to get people to talk,” and that’s what Takona is all about. “Let's use cars to create these connections and get people to talk,” he thought.

Now Lewis runs regular car meets in Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, The Cotswolds and Nottinghamshire which offer an opportunity to talk cars, but also speak openly about mental health. Don a Takona T-shirt or hoodie and you’re sending a message that you’re happy to chat about the hobby but also more serious matters.

“From my own feedback that I've received, I've had a lot of people go, ‘Oh, I felt more comfortable talking because you are so much more vocal about it.’ Or ‘I made friends with someone because we both liked the brand and what it stands for’, and it is doing its part to break down those barriers and make talking about mental health more commonplace.”

Ten percent of Takona’s profits go to the charity Calm (The Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Lewis also hosts a podcast and YouTube channel, with plans to introduce more events, including road trips, in the future.

It’s a great brand and a greater cause, so do check it out.