Australia started Movember.
This global men's health campaign began as a fun challenge among friends in Melbourne, quickly evolving into a worldwide movement focused on mustaches and critical health conversations.

Origin Story

In 2003, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery kicked off Movember in a Melbourne pub, joking about reviving the mustache trend.

They rallied 30 mates to grow 'mos for a month, tying it to men's health issues like prostate and testicular cancerā€”sparking chats that turned a gag into the Movember Foundation charity.

By 2006, it formalized as an Australian nonprofit, expanding rapidly with partners like beyondblue for mental health awareness.

Growth Timeline

  • 2003 : Humble start in Melbourne, Australiaā€”30 participants raise initial buzz.
  • 2004-2005 : Grows locally; four co-founders (Garone, Slattery, Adam Garone, Phil Hanley) join, hitting 10,000+ Mo Bros by 2005.
  • 2006 : Official charity status; AUD 9.3M raised in Australia/New Zealand.
  • 2007 : Goes internationalā€”US, UK, Canada, Spain launch with partners like Prostate Cancer Foundation.
  • 2009+ : Hits charity status globally, partners Livestrong; by 2010s, reaches 21 countries, raising $710M+ for projects.

Impact Highlights

Movember has funded thousands of projects tackling prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide preventionā€”proving a mustache can change the face of men's health.

Mo Bros start clean-shaven November 1st, grow only mustaches (no beards!), and fundraise via convosā€”rules keep it authentic.

Today (January 2026), it thrives yearly, with fresh 2025 campaigns boosting awareness amid rising men's health talks online.

"Movember started in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, when a group of friends wanted to bring back the classic moustache style and do something meaningful."

TL;DR : Australia (Melbourne, 2003) birthed Movember from a pub jest to a global forceā€”now in its 23rd year, still growing impact.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.