By Erica and Karen

When we retired, we felt instantly dismissed--as if we had become irrelevant and old overnight. Luckily, we knew each other, so we were not alone. But we weren’t sure how many other people felt as sidelined as we did.

We began talking to other women, and we heard the same words from almost everyone. Invisible. Shelved. Marginalized. 

And when we started Lustre, we heard the same words from all of you. 

We began to understand that we are all dealing with a systemic issue--the inability to see clearly the continuing worth of retired and older women. Women who refuse to be invisible. Women who are not done. Women who have long runways and who want to share what they have learned over the decades. 

There are millions of us. But each of us deals with this sudden rejection alone, knocked off base by an unexpected reaction. Not sure what to say or how to reassert ourselves. Not even sure how to start a conversation, let alone create a new identity.

So we decided to design a line of tops and totes that would send the message and start the conversation on the right foot. We are not done. We are not invisible. Ignore us at your peril--and your loss.

If enough of us send the message, we will surely change the outdated picture of retired and older women. If enough of us refuse to be sidelined, the world will take account of our value. 

We took matters into our own hands when we entered the workforce. We’ll do it again now. Let’s make sure everyone hears us.