Login / RegisterBliss Army builds a chic yoga collection with its Blissology line
Armies—they’re not just for warmongers, ant raids, and New York rockers any more. The latest organized military force to be reckoned with is a group of love-seeking yogis. They call themselves the Bliss Army, and they’re on a mission to be as spiritually healthy as possible. And, thanks to their founders, Eoin Finn and Insiya Rasiwala-Finn, these lotus-posing soldiers have a new uniform: the Blissology collection.
In collaboration with lululemon Lab, this husband-and-wife team recently created a 10-piece yoga line that pays homage to the pair’s juxtaposing ideas of militant might and spiritual enlightenment. To celebrate the launch of these functional super-soul designs, they hosted a party at Heritage Hall on December 19 in true yogi style—complete with meditation, a wall of love, and plenty of community spirit. That’s where the Straight caught up with Finn and Rasiwala-Finn to talk about their Blissology philosophy, which Finn says is about “finding the strategies for as much love, joy, and bliss in your life as possible. So the Bliss Army is just people who’ve committed to do the work to make themselves feel as happy as possible and then trying to spread it around in their world.”
This all sounds very lovely and nice, but where’s the dichotomy that jibes with the military/yoga theme?
Finn explains: “There’s all kinds of forces in life that pull you toward just thinking the world’s just about you, about just entertaining yourself, just about being happy for yourself and for your family, and a lot of people don’t think outside of that paradigm. But really, what we want to do is just evolve and to make sure that we don’t have a negative impact on our planet or have a negative impact on our communities. So that is tension. There’s tension in that, and that’s kind of where the army thing comes in—we’re basically love versus selfishness, and what we’re trying to do is collect a whole army of people who are more on the side of love than selfishness.”
I personally dig everything they stand for, but if it all sounds a little new age-y for some tastes, don’t worry: the clothes (five pieces for men and five pieces for women) are fab.
“We wanted stuff that was really functional—that felt good when you’re doing yoga,” says Rasiwala-Finn, adding, “but also streetwise.”
Mission accomplished.
One of the highlights from this limited-edition collection, which is sold exclusively at the lululemon Lab (511 West Broadway), is the women’s Blissology Jacket ($168). This chic, khaki water-resistant belted coat comes with two sets of modish drape-y pockets and a cozy lining. So it’s practical, classic, and stylish—imagine a 21st-century Katharine Hepburn doing downward-facing dogs in The African Queen—this is what she would wear. And the women’s ribbed Bliss Tank ($62) looks stunning in army green. It has a beautiful, shimmery asymmetrical mesh bustle that covers your behind, but doesn’t hinder your poses. And the Blissology Hooded Cowl Top ($74) is lightweight and breathable enough for the studio, yet street enough to pair with jeans and not look like a poser. That versatility was what Rasiwala-Finn was hoping to achieve with this line.
“I want to be able to wear something that doesn’t look like yoga clothing,” she says. “I think lululemon’s great, but the classic lululemon, to my taste, looks very sporty—it’s very athletic looking. So I wanted something that’s a little more stylish—a little more edgy, if you will.
