What is up?! First off, I want to thank you for visiting our site and taking part in the small revolution that we have created here at Sonder Mountain Apparel Co. My name is Kipp Grange and I am the CEO and Artistic Director of Sonder Mountain Ltd. We are a Denver, Colorado based apparel brand with a purpose. What is that purpose you may ask??? Still figuring it out! Just kidding. Let me start from the beginning.
I have always loved the concept of fashion. Really anything that helps define who you are as a person. I was drawn to people who had very visual self expression even from an early age. Folks who died their hair crazy colors, unique body piercings and tattoos... tattoos have inspired me for as long as I can remember. I was always the kid in school who stood out because of my innate need to go against the grain. I have always had this sense that we lived in a society that tried so desperately to push this idea that everyone should act and dress and feel the way societal trends wanted them to. That somehow, there is a specific societal mold that everyone should be able to fit into. I grew up in the era of Abercrombie & Fitch, Polo, Ralph Loren, Forever 21. Don't get me wrong, the 90's were an epic time. Grunge was huge. Kurt Cobain was still alive. Trump was just a relatively unknown real estate guy in New York. Yah, those days! Fast forward, that societal mold seems to be even more defined then ever before.
Long story short, I have always felt that we the market was lacking an apparel brand that completely supported the individual and their individuality. This meant that we needed to start from the ground up. What makes us unique? How can we celebrate this? How can we push an idea that promotes mental health, acceptance, empathy and transfer that to clothing, hats and shoes? Thats how Sonder Mountain Apparel Co was born.
Being in recovery myself, I have witnessed first hand how society treats those struggling with debilitating diseases like addiction, depression, chronic anxiety... the list goes on. I remember during my own journey,, someone stating that we suffer from the worlds loneliest disease. He could not have been more spot on. I have always felt an incredible need to support those walking alone through their struggles. Our government has moved too slow to address this issue. There is not even close to enough funding to support the millions suffering and society continues to turn a blind eye. The change had to be within the problem. I was within the problem. I could see what was missing and I needed to help.
Sonder Mountain Apparel has a vision of normalizing mental health struggles and addiction. Not because we believe there is no hope, but because the simple fact is, there are more people struggling than not. It is essentially normal. The only way we can defeat it is by bringing it out of the cave and into the light. Our clothing shows that we stand in solidarity with folks who are fighting the worlds loneliest disease.
Again, normalizing the disease is just the beginning. We knew we had to take it a step further. Thats why we partnered with local communities, facilities and companies to promote their work and support their contributions to society. Every purchase provides funds for beds, supplies, clothing, fees and so much mmore for the men and women who want to begin their journey towards healing, but feel they do not have the means to do so. As we grow, our reach grows. Sonder Mountain is more than just an apparel brand. Its a revolution.
Thank you for your support!
Kipp Grange
Owner | CEO of Sonder Mountain Ltd