Helping hats
December 04, 2024
UVic grad Ben Miller started Wirth Hats to honour his late friend and help fund mental-health support for those who need it
Ben Miller is on a mission to make mental-health conversations “less big and scary.” His social enterprise, Wirth Hats, is a conversation-starter offering free counselling sessions to anyone in need.
Wirth Hats began as a tribute to Miller’s friend, Jakob Wirth, who wanted to start a hat company but died by suicide in 2014 before his dream came to fruition. “I wanted to make Jakob’s dream a reality,” says Miller. “I saw the need for people to talk, to get help.”
After a second friend, Philipp Altenburg, took his own life in 2017, Miller was consumed by thoughts of the larger epidemic of suicide and the cultural and societal stigma surrounding it. He wanted Wirth Hats to be a symbol for a conversation, a reminder for people to be more open and vulnerable.
Since 2019, the Wirth Counselling Program has provided over 6,500 hours of therapy to individuals who otherwise would not be able to afford it. “I wanted to break down the barriers of asking for help as well as the access to mental-health supports,” says Miller. All the profits from hat sales go to support the Wirth Counselling Program. In 2023, the Wirth Foundation was created to further expand the counselling program and its impact.
“Human connection, telling our story to a professional, gives us tools to support our own mental health,” says Miller, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Environmental Studies from UVic in 2010. “I wanted to offer free counselling sessions to anyone who asked for help.”
Both his friends might still be here if they had a way to talk about their mental-health challenges, Miller suggests. In over a decade, the world has changed, but now the challenge is having enough services for people who do want to talk. The Wirth Hats team tries to fill the gap, but Miller says they are always looking for more partners who want to make a difference.
Miller says that, personally, counselling has given him the tools to talk to others about emotions and make meaningful human connections. He finds balance day-to-day through being outdoors, exercise, yoga, laughter and daily check-ins with himself. He is proud of the impact Wirth Hats is having on people and the shared conversations that bring positive action.
Miller says his time studying Social Sciences at UVic was unique and memorable, particularly since it’s where he met many lifelong friends. He is also grateful for how the university experience shaped his journey. He fondly remembers professor James Rowe, who shared his passion for social entrepreneurship, a direction Miller followed when he launched Wirth Hats.
“I am so grateful for my time at UVic,” says Miller. He recalls a quad-tandem bike trip that he took in 2010 with three UVic friends, cycling from Victoria to Halifax over two and half months across the country. “Just do random things,” advises Miller. “It will give you an experience of a lifetime.”
The success of Wirth Hats, however, has not been random. Miller and his devoted volunteers bring meaning and passion to their brand platform. Miller also completed a business minor at UVic, giving him additional tools for building a successful social enterprise.
“We launched the Wirth Artists Series with a local Indigenous artist,” says Miller. “We look for ways to connect with the community and start those difficult conversations.”
Through new hat designs, campaigns and events such as Wirthwhile Wednesday, Miller is sending a message of hope out into the world. Read more at wirthhats.com and follow on Instagram.
—Anne MacLaurin, BA ’91, Cert ’00
This article appears in the UVic Torch alumni magazine.
For more Torch stories, go to the UVic Torch alumni magazine page.