You're probably wondering what this whole Blackdog project is all about? Men's mental health awareness? Another cycling clothing brand?? Where did it come from and what's the point of all this??
Really the starting point for all of this; the brand, tackling my own mental health issues and ultimately a career change to go back to graduate school to be a mental health therapist all dates back to the summer of 2016. I was living in Ashland, Oregon at the time and on an extended summer trip back to Europe when my own mental health issues got really bad. But, even though I was clinically depressed, something good came out of it as it was the first time I'd admitted I had a problem and started talking to friends about what I was going through.
What became clear almost immediately as I talked to male friends of mine was just how many other men in the 30's and 40's were going through the same shit. So over coffee's and bike rides that summer in South West London, 4 of us got together to talk and explore what we could do to help. The name Blackdog came from what Winston Churchill used to call his own serious depression.
The original Blackdog 4; Angus, Roann, Alex and Jamie.
But from here things stalled.. it's a pattern that has repeated itself over the years as work, life and my mental health have conspired against doing much with Blackdog. However, it's never gone away.. first up I started a podcast which eventually morphed into The Fellowman Podcast as my interest in clinical mental health developed. Blackdog has come out to play a few times since then, mostly around Movember with some cycling kit designs which really sewed the seed for where we are now with Blackdog as a clothing brand.
Fast forward to 2025, and things fell into place to do something meaningful with Blackdog. I had been working on and off with my design partner Yujin over the last few years on some cycling and sportswear apparel projects and we'd built up some solid manufacturing relationships and expertise in designing and making technical clothing. With some time on my hands between jobs it just felt like the right time to fully commit to Blackdog as a clothing brand in it's own right with a bigger message around men's mental health.
So here we are in late 2025, about to launch with another great Movember kit design, and this time around we'll keep rolling with new collections every quarter from Jan '26.
Does the world need another cycling apparel brand in an already crowded market?
Probably not, but we think we can add some value in designing and manufacturing great clothing that doesn't need to break the bank, and we hope that where you do decide to spend your hard earned cash on cycling clothing you'll choose to support a small brand that is set on getting more men talking about, and doing something about their mental health. Read more about this approach here.
Alex Palmer.
Austin, TX, Oct 2025.