Salvador de Leon is a young man who designs clothing to give a voice to mental health, as he cannot forget the first time he had a panic attack.

He was on vacation in Miami in 2019 when, suddenly, in the middle of the dance floor, as the fluorescent lights flickered, he felt like he couldn't breathe. “It felt like my chest was throbbing and burning, and I love to dance, but I couldn’t even move,” he said while sitting outside his home in Culver City. “I didn’t feel well; I felt like I was having a heart attack. I couldn’t breathe; I had tension all over my neck; it was awful.” That was the beginning of his battle with depression and anxiety, which worsened in 2019. He said the depression completely consumed him. During this time, he wasn’t eating well, which caused him to lose weight. His brown skin turned pale from being home all the time, and the smile that used to light up his face disappeared. “One day I woke up and I didn’t even know who I was anymore, I just felt sad, depressed, and I cried every day,” the 30-year-old recalled. “I felt empty; I immediately knew something was wrong, and that same week I decided it was time to go to therapy.”

He says that decision completely changed his life. He started going to therapy where he was able to process what was happening to him. Little by little, the paralyzing noise in his mind began to fade away. Five years ago, it was during those same therapy sessions that his clothing brand, Breathe by Sal, was born.

“My therapist told me I have a story to tell and that I should share it, especially as a Latino, in a community where machismo is deeply ingrained and where healing and therapy aren't discussed enough,” the entrepreneur explains. “My brand is not only a creative outlet for me, but it also allows me to inspire and open up the conversation about therapy.”

It's very common in the Latino community for mental health not to be discussed or for the possibility of seeking help from a therapist to be mentioned.

In many Latino homes, when a young person says they are sad or want to go to therapy,It's very common for their parents to respond with things like, "Go clean and you'll get over it," or in the case of men, they often receive comments like, "You're a real man, you don't need that." These are the kinds of thoughts that De Leon wants to combat with her clothing line, since Latinos face high rates of mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In fact, more than one in five Latino adults report suffering from a mental illness. However, compared to 52.4% of white patients who received mental health care in 2021, only 36.1% of Latinos received care. In 2023, suicide was also the second leading cause of death among Hispanics aged 25 to 34. And although there are many factors that influence not seeking help, such as access to health insurance, finding the right therapist, or language barriers, most of the time, when it comes to Latino men, the excuses boil down to pride and a lack of education on the subject. “I want everyone to know, especially other men, that they are not weak for going to therapy,” De Leon emphasizes. “We are all human, we have feelings and things we need to process, and drinking to forget or things like that don’t eliminate depression or stress, like therapy does.” Her clothing, which includes T-shirts, sweaters, skirts, and more, is screen-printed with bilingual phrases like “Your anxiety is lying to you,” “Be more forgiving of yourself,” and “Breathe,” a tribute to all the work she has done in therapy. Each piece has a story; For example, one of his designs not only features phrases but also includes the numbers 00001-2023, a reminder of a breathing exercise he learned in therapy. He says that in therapy he has learned how valuable it is to take a moment to breathe, something that helps calm his system.

“I love fashion and have always wanted to create something meaningful, so I created the clothing brand and decided to call it Breathe by Sal because I truly learned to breathe again.”

He says that by pop-up shops at community events with his clothing stand, he has been able to connect with his customers and his community on a more personal level.

“I’ve had many conversations with customers about their journeys and how they manage their anxiety and depression, and the stories I’ve heard are truly incredible,” he said. “It’s beautiful to see the community coming together to talk about mental health, and most of them have been men, and I’ve cried with them.”

He says that a few months ago a man approached his booth, where his clothing pop-up shop was located, and noticed he was sad and curious.“I approached him, and he told me that his daughter had been battling severe depression and that he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to pull through,” she recalls. “You could see the fear for his daughter’s life in his eyes; we both started crying because what he was telling me reminded me of when I was at my lowest point.” She hugged the man, shared her personal story, talked to him about therapy, and provided him with resources he could use for his daughter. He said his clothing line had allowed him to be in the right place at the right time that day. “I found my purpose: to help others; that’s literally what my name, Salvador, means,” he said. “I just want to remind everyone that they’re going to be okay and that whatever they’re going through right now is temporary.” Each new clothing collection he designs is accompanied by cinematic videos that he shares on social media. Each one addresses different topics related to mental health. The most recent one is about how to start those conversations with your partner or family to seek appropriate help. And the power of having a good support system around you.

For now, she only sells her clothing on her website and at community events, but she says that one day she would like to open her own store in Los Angeles.

“I just want people to believe in themselves, to know that they can get better if they want to, and that life gets better if we work hard and don’t give up,” she said. “Therapy only works if you believe in it, if you believe in yourself, and I believe in all my clients.”

To purchase clothing, you can visit breathebysal.com and follow her on Instagram @breathebysal

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