When we sat around the table brainstorming ideas for a campaign to celebrate our 1st birthday and International Women's Day, we reflected on the year that had gone by. It certainly has been a crazy ride. One of our team members sighed under her breath and said, "honestly, women are strong as fuck".
That was it. The penny dropped, and the cogs turned.
That was literally all we wanted to say out loud.
From a brand perspective, this past year has been a journey. We've had our mission and integrity challenged at every turn, and we've fought hard to be here. Remaining true to our inclusivity and sustainability pillars has been battle after battle, but we are determined to win the war.
We became a plastic-negative company, introduced more skin tones and begun some very exciting product development. We aim to be a brand that empowers women to wear whatever they want and that is what inspires us to keep pushing on with our vision.
For women around the world, the past year has been an endless battle. From fighting for autonomy over our own bodies, a second year of a global pandemic, and now our sisters in Ukraine face the terrors of war. It feels apocalyptic.
But we hold on to hope. History tells us that women are resilient. Women are brave. As the well known South African resistance song reminds us:
Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokodo.
(When you strike a woman, you strike a rock.)
For the #StrongAF campaign, we wanted to find a way to show how strong women are and how strong our products are. We wanted to share stories of resilience and overcoming adversity alongside beautiful and brave imagery.
We couldn't have visualised a better way to encapsulate this than by taping up our boobs and riding into the desert at sunset. We reached out to friends of the brand and shared our mission for the campaign, and we were so profoundly touched by the response and the willingness to be a part of it.
Thank you, Caroline, Reham and Odette, for joining our founder Astrid for this ride (literally and figuratively) and for sharing your stories with us.
Throughout this month, we will be sharing their stories and the stories of other women who epitomise #StrongAF. We invite you to join us and tag the women in your life who you want to honour and acknowledge their incredible strength.
