Lush
On the 23rd February 2024, we hosted an evening Funshop at the Lush Brighton shop. The atmosphere was vibrant and upbeat - the sarees created a playful environment!
The conversations and thoughts shared were insightful and curious, making us all consider what it means to be truly sustainable.
Snapshot…
Lush, the Funshop and Sustainability…
The brand Lush has always had an admirable ethos - protect the planet and do right by others. Their aims and approach to their work align strongly with Re-Balance’s, which is why it felt like the perfect place to host our fourth funshop.
As always, our guests were directed toward an array of sarees upon arrival and asked to choose their favourite to be draped into. Once everyone was dazzling in their colourful sarees, we sat together to learn more about one another. A core aspect of the Funshops is building community and trust within the group. Nearly all the attendees shared with us that they felt connected, supported and inspired throughout the Funshop.
During our group discussion, we thought carefully about the idea of sustainability and how important it is to know where our clothes come from. To this end, we talked about the Jamdani weave, supporting independent artisans who keep the craft of weaving alive and how to shop sustainably when buying sarees. The saree industry and the global fashion industry more generally, often encourage excessive consumption, which creates masses of waste that disproportionately affect countries in the Global South.
In contrast, sarees generally are a very sustainable garment. They can be worn in over 200 different ways, and, as they are unstitched, they can fit all different shapes and sizes. During the Funshop, we experimented with the Nivi, Kachha and Dhoti drapes, highlighting to people how one saree can create dozens of different looks.
One participant thoughtfully observed that, “there are so many stories a saree can bring”. Sarees hold the stories of generations before us, they are witness to the act of people helping each other dress up and being playful with their loved ones. Even the sarees used in our Funshops hold the experiences and conversations of all the wonderful Funshops we have hosted before. We love that everyone embraced the idea of sustainable dressing and dressing up together.
The Funshop made me feel…
“Happy, connected, heard, beautiful and creative”
“Content and part of a community. It was wholesome!”
“I’m lost for [improvements], you’ve nailed it!”
“I’m so grateful for the experience”
Draping up, Self-Expression and Connection
All the attendees mentioned that they enjoyed the intimacy and connection with one another created through dressing up together; reminding them of childhood and being playful. We spoke about the diversity of the saree and how it belongs to everyone; men and women alike can embrace it in different ways.
It was wonderful to hear the passion and exuberance in the room. We agreed as a group how garments like the saree empower us to dress for ourselves and worry less about society’s norms and other people’s opinions. The group identified with the saree in different ways and built their own unique connection with different drapes. We loved how comfortable everyone felt to experiment and how eager people were to learn about the plethora of existing saree drapes.
It was clear to see how wearing the saree made people feel confident. People shared that it made them feel ‘taller’, ‘free and comfortable’. One person confided that she felt emotional looking in the mirror, feeling a greater connection to herself and her roots.
Another person exclaimed that they were surprised by how much [they] felt like [them]selves in the trouser drape, despite having never worn a saree before and not coming from a South Asian background.
The evening was a memorable one, with lots of thought-provoking ideas shared and a real community bond created. We hope to embody the values of this funshop; sustainability; play and confidence, in every funshop going forward.
