Ask any college student: Finals week can often bring a lot of stress, but Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts students at Arizona State University didn’t want that to be the case for their peers this semester.
Based on their own experiences with stressful finals, several design students brainstormed how they could bring mental health in focus. The result: a collaboration for a pop-up shop with the Mayfair Group, a Scottsdale-based lifestyle brand whose merchandise features apparel with inspirational and uplifting messaging.
The brand was inspired by CEO Sam Abrahart’s own struggle with mental health and her goal to create a more meaningful life through uplifting content.
Assistant Professor Danielle Testa, who teaches fashion retail management, said she overheard her students talking about their own struggles with mental health as finals approached. The students then decided to promote kindness and positivity with a pop-up shop and fair that features local designers.
Testa said the event was entirely student-driven.
“We were speaking to the possibility of creating a place to support our peers, and we landed on this opportunity to use fashion as an escape that creates positive messages and places of support for our peers,” she said.
The pop-up shop will be open from 1–5 p.m. through May 5 at the new Fusion on First building on the Downtown Phoenix campus. It is open to ASU students, faculty and staff.
“It’s been a weird couple of years, so we support any way that we can spread positive encouragement for all of the ASU community during this extra stressful time,” Testa said.
For more events that can help you de-stress before finals, check out Sun Devil Sync or meet up with one of ASU's therapy dogs.
And for those who still need to spend some serious time cramming, ASU Library locations are open throughout finals week. Check library hours for details. There are many quiet places to study in each library, as well as spaces that are perfect for working with groups. Need to reserve a study room? Each library offers a unique combination of open and enclosed study rooms.
Top photo courtesy Pexels
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