We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gayle Smaller Jr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gayle , thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The MAN DOWN Project started as an idea I had when I was fellow in a leadership development program. We were charged with creating a capstone project that was rooted in something personal, but also provided us an opportunity to utilize our leadership skills in the communities we were a part of. I decided that I wanted to create a project focused on men and mental health – with my younger brothers and nephews serving as my inspiration and motivation. What initial started as a brunch program grew into a now award-winning fashion show because I noticed a lack of opportunity for male identified models as I began navigating the Minnesota fashion community. I merged my original idea with this new need for opportunity and MAN DOWN was born. Pairing mens mental health with fashion provided me a unique approach to explore a sensitive and very stigmatized topic through a creative and artistic vehicle that made the conversation cool, intriguing and safe. Since, MAN DOWN has now transitioned into The MAN DOWN Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using creative avenues to explore and destigmatize men’s mental health.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Gayle Smaller Jr. and I was born and raised in North Minneapolis. This is an important part of my story because it informs how and why I do the work I am called to do. My career started in higher education, where I currently work doing DEI consulting, training and development and programs for students, staff and faculty. This work provided me with a specific understanding of the intersections of oppressions and the impact this had on ALL people. Doing this work, I often find myself exploring what is something new or unique I can offer that further adds nuance to conversations around inclusion and justice. For example, I think about the impact of patriarchy on the world and this idea that what some folks call ‘toxic masculinity.” Being raised by a single mother and my having very present grandmothers, I personally struggled with the overall role men played in the current outlook of society and wanted to do my part, as a man, to push other men to do their work to make society better. From a fashion show, we are now transitioning into a nonprofit organization. We are in the early stages of crafting the organization and thinking about what we will do. We are actively building our board of directors and crafting what our first strategic plan and priorities will be while keeping a strong commitment to our mission and vision. I am most proud of how far we have come in the last 3 years. What started as a vision and an idea has become a full-fledged brand that has started to crawl and grow legs. I am excited to see where we take The MAN DOWN Project and the impact we hope to have on our community.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the third season of MAN DOWN, titled The Other Side of Rage, I found myself experiencing moments of self doubt producing the event. There were various things happening that were out of my control, ranging from venue cancellations, lack of space for casting calls and a lack of model participation. It was becoming difficult to be inspired by the theme, I did not feel like I was connecting with the designers and there was a general disconnect from the entire experience. I recognized this and had to take a moment to remind myself why I started producing the MAN DOWN series, what my original intentions and goals were and who I was doing it for. This was especially important reflection work because the entire premise of The MAN DOWN Project is to bring awareness to men’s mental health and leading this type of work requires me to not just speak about what one should do, but to also model the behavior and practices. Upon doing this necessary mental wellness work, I found myself reenergized and motivated to produce an event that achieved the goals I had set.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Reputation is so important in business and I realize this more and more every day. One thing that was constantly repeated when I was growing up was that getting into rooms was not always about what you know, but who you know. I have changed that slightly to getting into rooms is sometimes about who knows you. What helped me build a reputation within the fashion industry here in the Twin Cities was by initially volunteering at events and shows. Finding any and all opportunities to be of service while also networking and handshaking with the people producing, working in or even attending the events was pivotal to me making a name for myself. For example, I was very intentional about being a check-in volunteer because it presented an opportunity to get to know peoples’ names and showing a bit of my personality when welcoming them into the space, complimenting their outfit and being helpful with any event questions they might have had. I was offered my first paid gig based off of folks seeing my work ethic as a volunteer and my commitment to supporting the overall outcome of the event I was supporting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.themandownproject.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandown_fashion/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gayle.anubis/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayle-smaller-jr/

Image Credits

Heather Elaine Fotography
Yeng Moua Photography
Lucie Photos