We are super excited to announce our extra special exhibition highlighting the achievements of incredible female founders. With works from the following FemTech designers, pop into our store between Sunday, 1 March and Tuesday, 31 March 2019 to see it in all its glory.
The idea that started The Yes Company Ltd in 2003 arose between two friends, Susi Lennox and Sarah Brooks, long standing friends and colleagues who simultaneously reached a point in life where they wanted to devote themselves to something new, daring and worthwhile, something that reflected their values and ethics.
Susi and Sarah’s experience of working in the Drug Safety divisions of major pharmaceutical companies meant they were very aware of the health risks associated with certain synthetic, chemical ingredients. They set themselves the challenge of designing a range of intimacy products that would be completely benign, have no side effects, free of all known skin irritants and be highly effective. Yes Lube was the world’s first certified organic lube. The guaranteed purity of the product range means that women who have undergone breast cancer treatment are having it recommended by specialist nurses. The range does not contain any hormone mimics and is gentle enough for the most sensitive skin.
Condoms: an industry that HANX founders Farah Kabir and Sarah Welsh found to favour peens over vagines who were using them. They decided to retaliate with their own brand of rubbers, minus the “overtly masculine, garish…cringey names”. Stemming from a positive attitude to “hanky panky” (HANX - get it?), these clean-scented condoms are made from ethically sourced, animal-friendly materials. Gynaecologist-approved, HANX are designed to complement your bedside decor just as much they are to your overall vaginal and sexual health.
Who knew my favourite flavour of ice cream would soon become silicone? Conceptual designer Shiri Zinn strives to question preconceived beliefs surrounding sexuality and empowerment. She created the I-Scream as an audacious alternative to the average vibrator. With a pinpointed tip on the cone-end and a much wider, rounder face on the ice cream end, users can savour their sauciest dessert in more ways than one.
The first menstrual cup, made from rubber, was invented in 1937 by an American woman named Leona Chalmers. Unfortunately, a wartime rationing of rubber during World War II impacted the production of her menstrual cup. Her cup was met with resistance from the public. Perhaps ahead of its time, the idea was shelved due to the rise in the popularity of disposables and the invention of the applicator tampon. Thankfully, the concept has gained more widespread popularity and recognition since the early 2000s when the Mooncup menstrual cup was invented.
The Mooncup® is a soft, silicone menstrual cup that you can reuse every time you get your period. Tried and trusted by users around the world, the Mooncup menstrual cup offers an end to the waste, discomfort and expense of disposable sanitary protection. It was designed by women as a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and pads. The Mooncup was the first-ever menstrual cup to be made from medical grade silicone; a hypoallergenic alternative to rubber which had previously been linked to latex allergies.
Dedicated to debunking shame and stigma surrounding female sexual pleasure, the product designer Ti Chang co-founded the Crave Vesper necklace to look as divine as it feels. In a discreet design, the shape of the Vesper creates a sexy secret that only a select few are in on. Wearers can choose to welcome open conversations surrounding sex and intimacy when donning it, unless they want to accessorise it simply with a wry smile on their face. However, they choose to enjoy it, Ti Chang has ensured it’s dual motor will keep owners more than satisfied.
Exasperated with ‘an avoidant medical system, grossly erotic websites that boasted “deeper penetration pillows”, and a wilted sense of self’, Ohnut’s founder, Emily Sauer, felt alone in her experience of pain during penetrative, vaginal sex. In an imaginative attempt to rediscover pleasure and comfort in such sex, Sauer introduced a doughnut to the shaft about to say hello to her vagina. This proved revolutionary for Sauer. She got together with a team of medical professionals, engineers and PHD students to find a practical alternative. Together, they conceived the Ohnut: a set of medical-grade, silicone rings to add as a buffer to penetrative sex and improve sensation for both partners.
Lora DiCarlo founded her brand, Lora DiCarlo, after experiencing the holy grail of sexual pleasure: the blended orgasm. She left medical school on a mission to use technology to accommodate for vaginal physiology and with an incredible team behind her they invented the Osé. DiCarlo took the Osé to the annual tech award ceremony, the CES, and was initially granted an innovation award. We say initially as this was later rescinded on account of the toy being perceived as “obscene” by judges (who didn’t take offence to the sex robots or VR porn shown at the ceremony). This created a huge conversation about the gender bias preserved by the tech industry and due to enormous pressure from the media and society, CES was forced to reimburse DiCarlo with the award. They’ve since dedicated an entire section of their awards ceremony to forward-thinking sex toy innovations, which is a pretty impressive feat for DiCarlo when thinking it was their Osé that kick-started this.
If this wasn’t exciting enough, we are thrilled to be announced as one of only two UK suppliers who will be stocking the Osé before it’s official U.K. release, so keep those eyes peeled on our announcements for more information regarding this...
Closing the orgasm gap one gasp at a time, Dame Products was created by two vulva owners fed up with the pleasure bias they were facing in favour of their cis-male counterparts. Alexandra Fine is a sexologist and Janet Lieberman is an engineer. Together, they invented the toy Eva, which became the most crowd-funded sex toy in history. The hands-free Eva is designed to stimulate the clitoris during penetrative vaginal sex…and boy, does it work. The Dame Products team has grown alongside their sex toy portfolio. They’re currently suing the New York Transit Company after facing a gender-bias in advertising on the city’s subway, which you can read more about here.
Designed by award-winning erotica author Tabitha Rayne and made into reality by British company Rocks Off, Ruby Glow is an innovative product for the seated person.
“I wanted a vibrator I could use while writing saucy erotica on my computer and quickly realised that this shape was something that could be used by many women. Perhaps you don’t like phallic toys, or you have weakness in your wrists, mobility issues or you simply can’t reach to operate a traditional toy. I sometimes suffer from back pain and being able to sit on Ruby Glow without having to lean over or reach down made a big difference to me.”
Tabitha Rayne
Ruby Glow was ranked 2nd in the Good Housekeeping magazine’s annual vibe review, and it was featured on This Morning with sexpert Tracey Cox who called it ‘Revolutionary’!
We are exceptionally proud of our vaginal dilators, the world's first vibrating, soft silicone dilating trainers.
Having spoken to thousands of women diagnosed with Vaginismus or Vulvodynia, women recovering from chemo or radio-therapy in the genital area and also post-op trans women needing to dilate their new vaginal canal, it became evident that the dilators provided by the NHS just aren’t what women want. Comments such as “too blunt”, “too plastic” and “too painful to use” were heard time and time again, so we set about creating better, more user-friendly dilators with softly tapered tips for easier insertion and an accompanying vibrating bullet for making training more fun!
"When designing a product, the desire isn't to make lots of money but rather the effect of changing peoples' lives"
Ky Hoyle, Sh!
