It’s not just mainstream fashion brand collections M&S is focused on launching. The high street retail giant has linked up with UK charity YoungMinds to launch a competition for young people to create a design that will be introduced in-store linked to this year’s M&S/YoungMinds ‘Hello Yellow’ kidswear collection.

We’ll have to wait until autumn for the winners’ launch as it’s going to neatly tie into World Mental Health Day.

Spearheaded by M&S x YoungMinds partnership ambassador and mother Rochelle Humes and combining with Children’s Mental Health Week, the competition invites young people across the UK to design a sweatshirt or hoodie that will be sold in M&S stores across the UK and online. All profits will be donated to YoungMinds to help more young people feel supported with their mental health.

The designs will feature on two special pieces in the collection, reflecting the age categories for the competition – 5-11 and 12-16 year-olds – with one winner chosen from each.

The winners, along with their parents/guardians, will get exclusive behind the scenes access to see their ideas become a reality, visiting the M&S support centre in London to see their design turned into the artwork, visiting the supplier factory in the Midlands to see the products being printed, and being part of the launch.

The winners will also receive enough sweatshirts or hoodies featuring their designs for everyone in their class to wear on the annual ‘Hello Yellow’ event when teachers, pupils, parents and colleagues wear the specific colour on that day, “to show young people that they are not alone with their mental health”.

Victoria McKenzie-Gould, corporate affairs director at M&S, said: “With the incredible support of our colleagues and customers, we’re proud to have raised over £3 million in just over one year to support young people’s mental health. Together with YoungMinds, we’re building a coalition of the hopeful and showing young people they’re never alone and there is support available when they need it most.”