Humor is the lifestyle. You are the medium. 

Emily spent several years helping her kids’ school design and order spirit wear. Through that process she learned a little about design and a lot about the quality of casual clothing options - and the abundantly average nature of those options. Meanwhile, as training in the martial arts entered her life, so did a whole new level of appreciation and respect for self-awareness and the need for humor. As if having four children didn’t provide enough fodder for self reflection and fresh perspective, somehow the martial arts brought it all into a new laser focus. Through the many hours, weeks, months and years of training with these trusted friends, real talk, serious focus and friendly take-downs coincided with a lot of laughs and shared humility. A common phrase became “that’s a teeshirt”. Enter, super soft, well-wearing teeshirt blanks and a heat press.

So, who is Haute Bon Mot? She is the embodiment of an “us” team who takes great pleasure in eliciting a hearty laugh with a well-crafted, witty or unintentional, good-natured joke. A giggle will do, too. Bringing this to another person lifts our spirits and even provides a little validation. “We did that” makes us feel alive and connected to another person. There is no pretense of being a stand-up comedienne. In fact, failure to think on our feet is frequent and familiar. But those opportune little moments, the ones in the weeds? Those are the moments in which we live.

What’s in a joke? Making light of a heavy thought. Taking a jab at an everyday situation. Poking fun with a pun. Redefining a word in an unexpected way. Speaking a truth with a clever turn-of-phrase. Wordplay with it. Irreverence, just shy of disrespect or crudeness.

Deep dive with us for a minute… They say laughter is the best medicine and we couldn’t agree more. Coming from a childhood fraught with emotional insecurity and chaos, I frankly don’t remember much laughter. Can you imagine? Many of you probably can, so really the question to ask is, “isn’t that sad?” Where there exists an emotional desert, something must be done to quench one’s thirst for interpersonal connection, relating, understanding, and being seen.

The path to completeness can be a rocky one. Our bodies are amazing machines that can be physically manipulated and trained into a closer image of our personal ideal. Our minds, however, are another Odyssey altogether. Our minds control everything! So this is where we must start.

What is your journey? What did yours begin? Was it idyllic? Normal? Tragic? Awful or horrific? Contemplating, facing and addressing the reality of the roots behind our present mental health is not such a simple task. Culturally and professionally the practice is relatively young. There is still so much about the brain’s wiring we do not understand. Treatments and medications abound. Constant research into better solutions are being pursued in all areas. Much ground has been gained and we have that to be thankful for. It is, however, our opinion that our greatest ally in the pursuit of mental health is the humanity that drives it. Ultimately, is another human who has the compassion, empathy, understanding, and energy to help and support another human. Trusted family members and friends are ever-important staples for self-care, but remember the professionals who are out there, trained and passionate for helping each of us work through all the things. No issue or topic is too small or insignificant. Remember that complex sphere of gray matter above your shoulders? Everything is intertwined. Start small and go deep. 

And… Come back up for some air now… We know laughter cannot “fix” but we also know it is a great tool, so use it!

What’s in a funny shirt anyway…or jacket …or pants …hat …or any of the wearables? For starters it’s a portable way to express yourself on any given day to reflect your mood or personality without saying an actual word. Maybe the joke requires explanation here or there but YOU know what it means and usually that’s enough. It’s your own personal, wearable soundbite.

Clothing with funny quips is not a new thing, so why Haute Bon Mot? We believe the humor is more than a laugh. It’s a way of being and a way of healing the mind and body. We believe the best humor edifies. We believe in the ability to make a joke at one’s own expense. Why? Because. Because it means you step outside the box of taking yourself so seriously which, believe us, is a relief not only to yourself but everyone around you. Because it means you can relax the “front” and not try so hard to convey a certain image. It’s a peak behind the curtain to the “messy you”. Welcome! We are all messy! Messy is the most real part of each of us. It’s the story of how we are who we are. 

We hope our humor resonates with you, because humor looks good on you.