Here's why the Lush Diwali Collection is so important
I love a seasonal celebration. Whether it’s Easter, Autumn, Halloween or Christmas, give me any excuse to don themed earrings and rewatch my favourite festive films. Of all the holidays, Diwali is one of my favourites, a celebration with roots in my South Asian heritage. Plus, how could I resist a festival of bold colours and bright lights?
Celebrating togetherness, family and, of course, food, gifts like jewellery, sweets and home decor are usually exchanged to express love and thanks. But when it comes to Diwali gifting in the UK, let’s just say the options from most brands have been pretty lacklustre. While there’s a different advent calendar for literally every taste (including sex toys and instant noodles,) Diwali doesn’t really get a look in.
With the exception of Homesense, which often has decorations and partyware for Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah and more, as well as a few supermarkets stocking cards alongside 10kg bags of basmati rice, the most brands tend to do is group together some of their existing products in an attempt to mark the occasion. It feels lazy and inauthentic at best, appropriation and offensive at worst, and honestly sometimes I wish they hadn’t even bothered.
That’s why Lush caught my attention. The brand, which has a track record of supporting LGBTQ+ causes, Palestinian mental health services and focusing on sustainability, as well as employees owning 10% of the business, has launched a new Diwali range that, most importantly, was developed by people who actually celebrate the festival.
The five piece collection includes a Lotus Blossom bath bomb with jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood and spices, the return of the Diya bath bombshell and melt and a smoky gold shower gel that represents Diwali’s iconic fireworks, plus a custom knot wrap designed by illustrator Brindha Kumar. My Diwalis have always been full of the sounds, colours and smells of fireworks and sparklers, or lighting diyas on my doorstep, so these bath and body products took me right to cold November evenings staring at the sky.
It’s pretty amazing to see a brand create custom products for Diwali, especially when they come with such a strong commitment to cultural authenticity. The range is actually part of Lush’s Co-Create programme, where employees from across the company can put forward seasonal ranges to “lift up authentic stories from their respective communities.”
Rhiannon Thomas, a sales assistant from Lush Guildford, worked with a group of fourteen others to bring the range to life, focusing on colour, light and sparkle. Rhiannon and her team were fully involved in pitching and developing the range, spending days in the Lush factory honing the products’ colours and scents. They also had a hand in naming the products, writing the bottle descriptions and contributing to shop window displays.
For Rhiannon, being involved in making this range has opened up conversations with customers and colleagues. “Growing up in Guildford which is quite a white area, you don’t want to stand out. If I’d seen something like a Diwali range in store, especially from a company like Lush, it would have made me feel so special. In my store, now people ask me about it. It creates something that’s normal,” she says. As for the scent, Rhiannon says Lush’s Old Delhi blend “smells like home to a lot of people.”
Where most companies would see this as an extra-curricular ‘opportunity,’ Lush pays their employees for their time – and then some. As Grace Latter, Co-Create Project Lead explains, the programme ensures employees are fully paid for their extra hours and any expenses on the projects, including travel time. Anyone whose Co-Create product ideas was developed and sold as part of a large seasonal range is also eligible for a bonus.
It means so much to know that these products are developed with true authenticity. Not only can I trust that this range is true to the spirit of Diwali, I know the team is paid properly. Rather than just ticking boxes, Lush have created something truly exciting that resonates with those who celebrate, pleasing the 73% of Gen Z shoppers who only buy from brands they believe in.
Launched in 2022, Co-Create ranges were always side projects until Lush tasked Grace with leading the programme full-time. Seeing success with previous collections like Lunar New Year and Eid (Eid’s sticky date scent has since gone viral and been expanded to an entire product range), this year shoppers can also look forward to Hanukkah and Dia de los Muertos ranges. In fact, Co-Create made £3 million in sales worldwide in 2023.
“We celebrated Christmas, Halloween, Father’s Day… but what about the others?” Grace asks. “Lush is a family business, based in a small town in Dorset. The inventors who have been working for us for over 20 years said ‘this isn’t our wheelhouse’ – we wanted to put people who do celebrate in charge. These ranges have so much heart and soul, it’s Rhiannon’s childhood memories that make the products,” she adds.
Someone run me a bath..
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