Lush Cosmetics has deep roots in activism, even billing itself as a “campaigning organization fronted by a soap shop.” And at SXSW 2025, the brand proved as much.
From March 9-10, Lush and nonprofit partner Change the Ref set up shop in Austin, TX, to raise awareness of school shootings and educate consumers on the Lawsuit for Survival, a bill aimed at implementing stronger U.S. gun policies to prevent mass shootings. The resulting “Bloom A New Day” activation dropped attendees in a mock classroom, where stark facts about gun violence in America were balanced with sense of hope for the future.
Following its Banned Book Library experience at SXSW two years ago, Lush returned to Texas this year to reach a diverse audience with its message about gun violence. For nearly three years, the brand has been working with Manuel (“Manny”) and Patricia Oliver, the founders of Change the Ref whose son, Joaquin, was murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL, in 2018. For both Lush and the Olivers, the Bloom A New Day campaign was about “turning pain into purpose” to ensure other families don’t experience the same loss, and to remind people that change doesn’t happen without action.
“We’ve been doing these campaigns for about 13 years, but have increasingly been seeing opportunities like South by as a way to get out of the inside of the store,” says Carleen Pickard, advocacy & activism manager at Lush Cosmetics. “One of the reasons I was really excited for us to go back was the scope of people, geographically, that we get to talk to.”
Festivalgoers who experienced the Bloom A New Day activation first encountered a U.S. map that displayed where, when and how many school shootings have taken place in each state since Parkland. The idea was to help attendees make a more personal connection with the cause.
Then it was on to the mock classroom, set up as a social studies lesson, with posters and a blackboard offering educational messaging on gun violence and school shootings. There, they could take a self-led journey through various touchpoints, like a row of lockers that could be opened, and contained everything from a bouquet of sunflowers, to “Vote Out NRA” and “Just F*cking Vote” stickers.
There was also a meticulously curated selection of books within the lockers and around the room, including the children’s-style “Joaquin’s First School Shooting.” Pickard says the brand specifically highlighted stories about gun violence written by or for young people, advocacy and resistance, and building progress by forcing systemic change.
At the center of the classroom were rows of desks where attendees could take a seat. Displayed on each desk was a phone number and call to action. When participants dialed in, they listened to a 90-second recording of what was later explained to be an active shooter lockdown drill. The experience was developed with insights from the Olivers, as well as an educator who had been through real school shooting drills. Later in the experience, a counselor was on-site for anyone who needed emotional support.
“We want people to have that experience, but then to also have the thought process of, ‘This is happening to thousands of students regularly across the U.S.,’” says Pickard. “So it’s not to take people to a place of, ‘Could you imagine if this happened,’ but more to get people to a place of, ‘This is happening. This is traumatizing our students on a regular basis, whether or not it’s an active situation or whether or not it’s a drill.’”
Following the mock classroom experience, attendees walked around the corner to find a field of paper sunflowers crafted by local Austin artists. There, they learned more about the Lawsuit for Survival, Joaquin Oliver v. USA. They could also speak to Manny and Patricia about their mission, and how to take action against gun violence, aboard the couple’s big yellow school bus, adorned with nods to Joaquin, which they drive around the U.S. and use as an anchor for their activism efforts.
Lush additionally got attendees up to speed on its work with the Olivers through product storytelling. When it comes to its range of in-store social justice campaigns, the company typically creates a limited-edition item that serves as a means of opening up conversations with consumers. The Bloom A New Day program was no different. And as a retailer whose mall locations “regularly experience gun violence,” the cause felt personal to the brand, Pickard says.
Accordingly, Lush debuted an exclusive “Sonflower” Bath Bomb at SXSW, developed with Manny and Patricia, and inspired by the bouquet of sunflowers that Joaquin gave to his girlfriend on the day of the Parkland shooting. It was an educational tool and the perfect metaphor—sunflowers are often viewed as symbols of hope and optimism, as they face east each evening in anticipation of a new day. Naturally, 75 percent of bath bomb sales were donated to organizations dedicated to ending gun violence.
Looking ahead, Pickard says Lush will debut an in-shop campaign based on the Bloom A New Day theme and centered on Joaquin and the mission of Change the Ref. “We’ll continue working with them to figure out what’s the best way that Lush can help the work that they’re doing, and help [advance] this desperately needed conversation.”
Photos: Courtesy of Lush Cosmetics
