‘Reflexed’ Is Merging Rave Culture With Conscious Fashion

Posters and flexes are a big part of the rave ecosystem. I've known artists that worked for weeks on flyers of special album-launch gigs and music festivals only for them to become irrelevant within a weekend. Goa is adorned with all kinds of flexes and posters all year-round, especially during festival season. From its immaculate rave culture that proliferates freedom, inclusivity, and sense of community, come parties and festivals that attract people from different backgrounds and nationalities coming together to celebrate music and dance, forming connections and making long-lasting friendships.

Riding out and about Goa, Appy and Acquin witnessed a lot of party flexes being wasted, stuck on trees, and strewn all over the place. What once were unique pieces of artwork symbolic of freedom turned very quickly into ugliness & trash. So the duo decided to do something about it as partygoers themselves which led to their recently-launched brand Reflexed that upcycles flexes into bags.

Appy called Luna and Starling who organize the cult favourite Hilltop Festival and asked them what they do with their used party flexes. The two were also looking for ways to reduce their impact with flexes and gave them all of their collected festival flexes. Appy shares, "We didn’t even know how we were going to work with them. We’re not designers, we know nothing about fabric, material, or textiles. We went to a tailor and got two samples of a tote and a bum bag made. I carried it around with me every day wherever I went, parties, groceries, and errands for more than a month and realised that it’s not just functional it if used well, can last for as long as you want. It was after the testing and getting feedback from our close friends that we decided to make a bunch more."

Appy and Acquin collaborate with festivals and venues and collect their used party flexes or ride around and pick up party flexes from the roadsides after the event/festival is over. After they are washed and sanitized, the flexes with a central artwork are turned into totes and the remaining parts with vibrant colours and artist/DJ names turn into bum bags or pouches. Reflexed is only a week-old brand but they planning on expanding and developing a better structure  to be able to collect used flexes from events and venues from as many places as possible in Goa.

The duo wants Reflexed to be a brand and a service provider making sure that the flex gets a second chance as merch or products and doesn’t end up in the landfill. Apart from that, every day is a research project. They are also exploring the possibilities of isolating flexes into their original material and shredded to be used in construction.

Encouraging sustainability and preserving the memories of our favourite gigs through their bags, Reflexed is an emerging brand at the cross sections of rave culture and conscious fashion.

Follow Reflexed here.

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