When people ask where the idea for LOOSE came from, I usually talk about movement, music, menswear and yoga.
But there is another part of the story.
A quieter part.
A more important part.
For over twenty years, Mysore, India has been a second home to me. It's where I travelled to deepen my understanding of Ashtanga Yoga and study within the tradition from which the practice originates. Like many practitioners, my first visits were centred around yoga. What I didn't expect was that Mysore would also teach me lessons about community, service and responsibility.
I first became involved with Operation Shanti in 2006.
At the time, Operation Shanti's Project Street programme was working directly with children who were living on the streets of Mysore. Through a mixture of outreach, education, healthcare and long-term support, the organisation was helping some of the city's most vulnerable young people find safety, stability and hope.
I started by teaching yoga to the children.
Not in a yoga studio.
Not in a beautiful shala.
Not on expensive mats.
On the pavement.
Right there on the streets of Mysore.
Those experiences stay with you.
Yoga has a way of stripping things back to what really matters. When you're teaching children who have experienced hardship most of us can barely imagine, it becomes very clear that yoga isn't about perfect postures or complicated philosophy. It's about connection. Presence. Care. Being seen.
Over the years my relationship with Operation Shanti continued to grow.
Whenever I returned to Mysore I would visit the children's home, spend time with the staff and young people, and look for ways to support the work being done there. Back in the UK I organised fundraising events, spoke about the charity whenever I could and tried to encourage others within the yoga community to learn more about their work.
What impressed me most was the long-term vision.
Operation Shanti isn't interested in quick fixes.
They provide housing.
Education.
Healthcare.
Mentoring.
And perhaps most importantly, consistency.
Anyone who has practised yoga for a long time understands the power of consistency. Real change rarely happens overnight. It comes through showing up, again and again, day after day.
The same principle applies to communities.
The children supported by Operation Shanti aren't being offered temporary relief. They are being given opportunities to build stable, independent futures.
I've seen first-hand how lives can be transformed when someone believes in a young person and provides the support they need to flourish.
Those experiences had a profound effect on me.
They reminded me that while yoga can help transform an individual's life, we also have a responsibility to look beyond ourselves.
To contribute.
To support.
To help where we can.
That's one of the reasons LOOSE exists.
From the very beginning, I knew I wanted the brand to be connected to something bigger than clothing.
Yes, LOOSE is about movement.
Yes, it's about creating comfortable, functional clothing for people who live active lives.
But it's also about community.
And community means looking after one another.
That's why a portion of every LOOSE purchase helps support the work of Operation Shanti.
It's a small contribution, but one that I'm proud of.
Because every product sold helps support programmes that provide education, housing and opportunity to young people who deserve the chance to create a better future for themselves.
Yoga has given me many things over the years.
Friendships.
Purpose.
Direction.
A livelihood.
Operation Shanti has reminded me that the greatest value of any practice lies in what we do with it.
If you'd like to learn more about Operation Shanti and the incredible work they do, I encourage you to visit their website and support them in any way you can.
Because movement can change an individual life.
But opportunity can change many.
