DSH logo

About Da Silly Heads

Scroll down to learn more about our story

Da Silly Founders

"Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret, all the best people are".
Alice in Wonderland

dan

Meet Dan…

“Hi, I’m Dan. In 2018, we set out on a journey to tell our story through mental illness in a new and engaging way. Let me take you back a little bit…
I have been living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder since my mid-teens. It has stayed with me until this day, with several serious bouts of depression, self harm and suicidal thoughts along the way. I have been through the Irish public mental health system which I felt was doing very little in helping me overcome my silly heads, and this motivated me to find a concept that has a sense of humanity, engagement, and fun to everybody who supports the fight against mental health stigma”.

– Dan

Meet Mike…

“Everyone’s got a plan until they get hit” (Joe Louis).

“I started to really experience the impact traumatic circumstances can have on somebody’s mental wellbeing through my wife Lesil, who had been bravely battling cancer for several years and sadly passed away in May 2020. The grieving process, which is still part of my journey, is something that I am actively working through. Da Silly Heads has allowed me to understand mental health on a deeper level than before, in turn, providing me with specific tools to help me work through the range of emotions that present throughout the process”

– Mike

Michal

In 2018 & 2019 we lost two family members to suicide which has propelled our determination to bring this concept into reality.

Our goal is to spark a movement of mental health advocacy which will help to create environments of understanding and empathy. A stigma free society is key to allow ambition, productivity and creativity to flourish.

We do this in three ways:

To externalize our experiences through poor mental health, we created cartoon characters, aka Silly Heads, each depicting a specific mental health condition. These are sketched and animated into quirky, tongue-in-cheek but real-life situations to express our journey through mental illness. This is how the whole project began, as we felt it is about time to discard the labels that we have lived with and experienced.

We design and deliver clothing with purpose or as we like to call it, Advocacy Apparel. The products are vital in our quest to promote visual mental health advocacy across communities. The products also give a subtle nod to our Silly Heads through colour. This allows the user to not only convey their mental health support as a whole, but also express their advocacy or empathy with individuals experiencing a particular condition, should they wish to do so.

The movement we are passionate about creating is led very visibly by us, the founders. Our unique workshops/seminars aimed at students, parents, professionals, and communities is designed to connect with our advocates on a more personal level. This allows for greater interaction with the people who matter most, families, friends and colleagues. In addition, our service links wellbeing providers, mental health professionals, charities and respective peer groups in promoting mental health advocacy in their own communities. 

Our Media Features