Lush broadens Mother’s Day narrative

Rewriting the traditional Mother’s Day narrative is at the heart of Lush New Zealand’s latest campaign.

Three gift cards, created by artist Ruby Jones, aim to reflect the range of experiences and emotions this day can bring for Kiwis, speaking to new motherhood, and grieving the loss of a mother or child.

“We recognise that the reality of Mother’s Day is more than the traditional narrative of ‘Happy Mother’s Day’,” says Jessielee Peace, Lush Cosmetics Aotearoa’s advocacy and activism executive.

“So we wanted to do something to rewrite this in our stores, for our community. It’s just a way for our community to feel a bit more seen and a bit more heard.”

Honest and inclusive

Since its inception in 1995, Lush has been a campaigning company, most notably for fighting against animal testing in cosmetics. It is always looking for ways to evolve in its diversity and inclusion, says Pearce.

Prior to her current role, Pearce worked on the ground in Lush stores for 10 years and often saw customers coming in around Mother’s Day to purchase gifts for a grieving mum or new mum.

“It’s been something we’ve experience in our stores for a long time. It was just time for us to acknowledge that and take it a little bit further.”

This year, Lush asked its community what they would like to see when it comes to Mother’s Day; greater representation of the reality of the day was what came out, with new motherhood and grieving a family loss being the key themes.

“So we asked ourselves what we could do to try and reflect the range of emotions this day brings,” says Pearce.

A perfect pairing

Aligning with Jones, a globally recognised illustrator, to create three cards that spoke to those themes was a no-brainer, Pearce adds.

“She can express aroha, kindness and compassion in her art, we just thought that aligned with us really beautifully.”

For Jones, a big fan of Lush and the company’s ethos and values and whose illustrations aim to help people feel seen, the pairing was similarly “perfect”.

Speaking with people in her network helped her come to terms with how to portray such sensitive and complex topics on the cards.

“I thought the campaign was a really beautiful concept and just acknowledging that Mother’s Day can be really complex for a lot of people and it’s not just a joyous celebration,” says Jones.

Lush surprised their staff with the arrival of the cards in early May, and they have been excited to give them away to customers, says Pearce.

“We do have our own community of mothers who work for us and it did make a lot of them feel seen and recognised.”

Speaking a thousand words

Jones explains her work has always been simple – because the more simple it is, the more people can relate to and understand it.

“I also love being able to say a whole lot with not much at all. Rather than trying to delve into an enormous elaborate piece of art, it’s more about thinking about the one moment or gesture that might spark a memory of you with your mum or you with your child.”

Pearce adds, “Our goal for it is just for people to feel seen, so whether navigating grief, exhaustion or even that mix of joy and sorrow that the day can bring, we really want them to know that there’s space for all of that.

“By offering cards acknowledging real lived experiences, we’re giving our community permission to show up honestly and just encourages more compassionate conversations between friends and family, or even just within ourselves.”