This week marks the last trading weekend of Brutal Fruit Spritzer SheBeen, the first pilot women-only venue in Soweto. As the countdown nears to the last day of the establishment, which is set to close on the last day of women’s month, 31 August, the venue has lined up fun activities to keep the revellers entertained.
The name of the venue, SheBeen, is a play on words where the prefix SHE, refers to the woman patrons who have exclusive access to the venue, and the suffix BEEN, denotes a place where she is inspired, celebrated and truly belongs.
Since its launch, Brutal Fruit Spritzer SheBeen has set tongues wagging across the country due to its novelty. The space was created by the proudly woman–centric brand, Brutal Fruit Spritzer for SHE to BE free, comfortable, inspired and her authentic self. Thereby affording women the opportunity to come and celebrate one another for the entire month of August through good music, and a tailor-made menu, in a space where they can feel special.
Brand activation and events company Living Masks, was responsible from the activation to operations stage and ensured that the experience of the guests was met and exceeded.
Yolandi Michaels of Living Masks, says she was excited about working on the Brutal Fruit Spritzer SheBeen project as it ideologically resonated with her and her female team. “If I could choose a project to work on, it would definitely be this one. It spoke to some of our experiences as women and gave expression to our desire to have our own space where we feel a sense of belonging and where we can connect and have fun without any inhibitions,” says Michaels.
She continues: “The experience on the ground-working with patrons has been wonderful. The feedback we received from the patrons and the owner has been nothing short of amazing. The patrons are just disappointed that the space is short-lived and will not been given a longer lifespan. But overall, the vibe and the feedback has been phenomenal,” says Michaels. She points out that the Brutal Fruit Spritzer SheBeen concept was a conversation starter that has sparked a thought on how brands and consumers can do things differently.
In line with creating a female-friendly establishment, the venue was given a facelift with pink tiles, floral roof, designer furniture, mirrored walls with words of affirmations and a vanity bathroom to celebrate women for the duration of women’s month.
“We are delighted with the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from the public and the patrons about Brutal Fruit Spritzer SheBeen. The venue has been a talking point for millions of people across South Africa on social media platforms. The concept of She-Been stems from Brutal Fruit Spritzer’s brand mantra of You Belong, which seeks to provide women with the confidence experiences and spaces that accentuate their femininity and sense of belonging.
Brutal Fruit Spritzer SheBeen also vindicated our conviction that is based on anecdotal evidence and market research that there is a place in the market for women only spaces or experiences where they can go out and just be free to express themselves unapologetically. We have learnt important lessons from this trailblazing venture, and the insights we have gained will help us to create more enhanced experiences for women where they can enjoy themselves without any inhibitions, in spaces where they belong,” says Candice van den Bosch, Acting Head of Brand, Brutal Fruit Spritzer.