RIYADH: As the global fitness industry slowly gets back on its feet following the pandemic, brands are finding leverage through community engagement and mindfulness.

Rolly, a Saudi brand established in 2021, focuses on creating fitness experiences and products while platforming sustainable practices through a “global perspective,” Yusr Al-Otaibi, co-founder of the brand, told Arab News.

Her sister, co-founder Yara Al-Otaibi, said: “In Saudi Arabia it’s really important to set a standard because we no longer settle for the minimum or the normal. We really want the best in terms of our brand, or products, or initiatives.”

Rolly looks to create safe spaces and products for individuals to integrate movement into their daily lives. (Supplied)

Saudis are no strangers to sedentary lifestyles. Days are outlined by long car rides through scorching sun-stroked streets. Only in the colder months can joggers and cyclists be found roaming Riyadh’s Wadi Hanifa or Jeddah’s Corniche. While there are no recent statistics on the topic, according to the 2021 Household Sports Practice Survey by the General Authority for Statistics, 29.7 percent of people are involved in moderate physical activity.

Rolly looks to create safe spaces and products for individuals to integrate movement into their daily lives.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Rolly, a Saudi brand established in 2021, focuses on creating fitness experiences and products.

• Rolly Experiences are curated wellness and fitness events that include mindfulness activities.

Yusr said: “We started with a question: Why weren’t there sustainable products that look fun and are also high performance? We took the challenge.”

After suffering a knee injury, cutting into her active lifestyle and gym routine, Yara found conventional yoga mats caused more pain than support. An idea resulted from the two sisters’ need for products and spaces that are comfortable, safe, and help all types of movement.

Yusr said: “We found a gap in the Saudi market, and the Middle East as a whole, and we’re hoping through this we can spread awareness of the importance of movement while taking care of the Earth.”

Rolly looks to create safe spaces and products for individuals to integrate movement into their daily lives. (Supplied)

After three years of testing alongside physiotherapists, the sisters’ first product saw the light of day. Their plastic-free and anti-humidity yoga mat is constructed using rubber and a top layer of vegan leather. The wide structure was designed by Yara to ensure that it is suitable for most body types and fitness exercises.

They have also developed a mat carrier, made of local fabrics, to promote the idea that safe spaces to practice can also be portable.

Yusr explained: “I think through the product design, perhaps Rolly opened the door for a new category of products in the Kingdom in terms of fitness that are approached by both male and female, or whether you’re a yogi, or a physiotherapist or pilates trainer, or a high school girl who loves movement.”

We found a gap in the Saudi market, and the Middle East as a whole, and we’re hoping through this we can spread awareness of the importance of movement while taking care of the Earth.

Yusr Al-Otaibi, Rolly co-founder

Their company is built under the three core values of sustainability, performance, and creativity.

Yara said: “As entrepreneurs we do really believe that businesses that don’t have a social, environmental, or an economic responsibility in Saudi Arabia will not flourish.

“We focus on these three aspects that are (components of) international sustainability … It’s not only the fact that we have products that are sustainable; socially, we are encouraging people to move, which has a sustainability aspect as well.”

Rolly looks to create safe spaces and products for individuals to integrate movement into their daily lives. (Supplied)

By working with Friends of Rolly — who are local instructors — fitness talent, investors, local businesses and studios get to boost their exposure.

The Jeddah-based brand this year began Rolly Experiences, which the sisters explained is at the “core of what Rolly does.” Their curated events captivate the senses of their clients, whether it is the weight of the mat they stand on, the music, or the environment they are placed in.

Mindfulness techniques are incorporated to engage mind as well as body.

Rolly has been able to promote mindfulness and fitness through experimental events, using lights to help encourage curiosity from onlookers.

Yusr said: “People are excited now to know what’s next because our experiences move from one location to another.

“The trainers are people who also fuse different types of sports together and these things are very exciting. It’s very heartwarming to see and know there is a demand for it.”

The sisters’ most recent event, called “Shells by the Beach,” which was run in collaboration with local studios and instructors, focused on locating and tuning into inner fluidity.

Yusr said: “We wanted it to be by the beach so the participants could feel and visualize the waves and recreate that feeling inside them. Human bodies are made up of 70 percent water so it made sense to be there.”

While they are currently based in Jeddah, they plan to expand into other parts of the region in the near future.

Yusr added: “The ultimate goal is to redefine the idea of fitness experiences in the country.

“People are interested in Pilates and yoga, and so on, but they also want a fresh perspective on making it something new: a very high-performance, high-quality experience.”

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RIYADH: Saudi sisters Nora and Joud Alorainy are the brains behind C., a Saudi company that sells organic and biodegradable menstrual pads “mindfully made” for women, by women.

The Saudi brand reinforces the notion that preserving our bodies and the environment is one and the same. The name of the brand, C., stands for “comfort” and “cycle,” and the sisters’ official website states: “Just as the sea, our bodies experience ebbs and flows.”

The sisters had noticed a gap in the Saudi market for more Earth-friendly feminine hygiene products. While living in the US, they came across a variety of biodegradable and organic pads and “noticed, during that time, that it actually did make a big difference,” Nora Alorainy told Arab News.

Single-use menstrual products globally were estimated to generate 200,000 tonnes of waste per year, the Women’s Environmental Network found. What many don’t know in the Arab region, and have created a notable taboo around, is the health impacts of conventional pads on the menstrual cycle. (Supplied)

Through their products and mission, the sustainability-driven brand creates awareness around the importance of utilizing biodegradable menstruation pads. Furthermore, organic pads and feminine products have proved to be more absorbent, according to the Saudi company’s clinical trials on their own products.

The Women’s Environmental Network found that single-use menstrual products were estimated to generate 200,000 tons of waste globally per year. Organic pads, with biodegradable packaging, are also a way to reduce plastic waste by eliminating the plastic within the pad itself and its casing.

Due to the layer of taboo around the subject, many women in the Arab region are not fully aware of the health impact of regular use of conventional pads.

FASTFACT

Biodegradable pads by Saudi brand C. are made using organic cotton and are free from chlorine bleaching, pesticides, fragrances, polyester and chemicals.

Research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that conventional non-organic sanitary pads play a role in irregular period cycles and cause exposure to toxic and harmful chemicals, such as methylene chloride, toluene, and xylene that impact the reproductive system and health.

Pads by C. are made using organic cotton and are “free from chlorine bleaching, pesticides, fragrances, polyester and chemicals.” Food-grade glue and the Japanese Sumitomo Super Absorbent Polymer are used in the production, along with other biodegradable elements that are also ethically sourced.

Before launching their own brand, the sisters tried to persuade US companies to branch out into the Kingdom. However, many were already overwhelmed due to the existing demand in the domestic market.

Nora Alorainy said: “That’s when we decided to take it upon ourselves to actually bring the product into Saudi.

“With the lack of organic and biodegradable products in the market, we just thought it’s a great opportunity to give women a mindful choice to choose what fits their bodies.”

After months of trial and error with their manufacturers, the Alorainy sisters designed the sustainable alternative to toxic feminine products.

Alorainy added: “Within 215 hours in natural conditions, it (the pad) biodegrades. So not only are you being very kind to your body, but you’re also kind to Mother Earth.”

Products by C., which now ships GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) wide, are certified and approved by global standards and organizations, including the International Organization for Standardization, the US Food and Drug Administration, the Global Organic Textile Standard, and CE standard, which is the European health, safety, and environmental protection mark.

Following the company’s launch last September, the Alorainy sisters have held sessions on a quarterly basis in collaboration with gynecologists and medical professionals to educate the female public about feminine health and ways to make mindful sustainable choices for themselves and the environment.

Alorainy explained: “It’s not just about the product, it’s also a movement. It’s about making women more connected with their bodies, and the world around them.

“In school here in Saudi Arabia, I’ve never learned about certain topics when it comes to women’s bodies, so we just want it to be that source (for other women).”

The Kingdom has made great strides to champion sustainable practices within the framework of environmental longevity, and the pad substitute is a small way in which women can push for that change in their daily lives.

C. is one of the first brands in Saudi to break the taboo around discussions related to menstrual products, their harmful impact on the environment and the body, and to offer an alternative.

Speaking about the response to the brand, Alorainy said: “I don’t think there’s a huge awareness regarding the use of organic versus non-organic pads, but I think it’s growing, and more and more people are starting to make the shift.

“We’ve been getting good feedback, which I think is the biggest driver for us.”

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