"HEY Mitch, I'm not sure if you know yet, but Tor suicided on Sunday and was in hospital in a critical condition due to the swelling on his brain. He passed away last night in hospital. Just thought you deserved to know if you hadn't been told already."

This was the devastating Facebook message a Warwick teenager woke to on November 2, 2016 and the catalyst for an idea that would make him an ambassador for Australia's largest youth mental health organisation.

Six months since after launching a clothing brand designed to help prevent youth suicide, Scots PGC student Mitchell Ford reflected on the days following the death of one of his closest friends.

"I began crying uncontrollably for hours, crying myself to sleep, crying in my sleep and waking up crying," he said.

"The days and weeks following his suicide I felt empty. I began to feel angry at him and myself. I was angry at him for believing this was his only option. Angry at him for leaving like this."

When a second friend, Amy "Dolly" Everett also died by suicide earlier this year, Mitchell decided something had to happen.

"I was sitting in class one day and it just sort of came to me and I thought "prevention" that is cool, I like that," Mitchell said.

The idea inspired a simple t-shirt design featuring the PRVT logo and which Mitchell hoped would spark a conversation and reduce stigma around mental health.

"I did it to push the message that you're not alone," he said.

"You can be helped and having a mental illness doesn't make you crazy or weird."

But when he decided to donate the profits from his first sales to headspace in Warwick, Mitchell made a big impression.

"It's not every day we get teenagers walking in here wanting to make a donation, so he definitely caught our attention," headspace manager Travis Maguire said.

Executives at headspace national soon decided to make him an official ambassador for the Australia-wide youth mental health organisation.

"We were extremely impressed with his level of motivation," Mr Maguire said.

"It is a simple brand and a simple message but it's effective.

"For a teenage Year 12 student to do all this while going through exams, that's a phenomenal effort."

From creating the website to designing shirts, 18-year-old Mitchell built PRVT Apparel from scratch.

He has since seen orders come in from all around Australia.

But even more inspiring are the connections he has formed with other young people.

"I have got a lot of messages from people who have their own stories" Mitchell said.

"Mental illness is like the family secret that everyone has, but when someone opens up about it, it's like 'oh, I have been through that, too'.

"I think that's awesome and that is what encourages me to keep pushing."

You can find out more about Mitchell's story and PRVT Apparel here by visiting the website.

If you or someone you know needs help, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.