Nagi, a period product brand based in Japan was launched last year during the pandemic. While “staying at home” made people realized the importance of self-care, Nagi is enabling women to be calm and comfortable even during their periods.
The amount of stress women experience while on their periods is unfathomable. Controlling your body is controlling your life. Nagi is seeking a way to provide self-care options while also committing to sustainability by producing reusable period underwear.
Nagi was born by facing the reality
The brand was born in Tokyo as a period-proof brand. Its mission is to empower women to feel confident wearing their underwear during periods. The reality of Japanese period culture gave the most inspiration. As two major options, there are paper napkins and tampons.
However, in Japan, it almost looks like the only option. More likely, the majority of women in Japan mostly only use paper napkins. While reusable napkins, tampons, menstrual cup has popular demand in worldwide, the situation in Japan was different from others. To give more options for the Japanese period industry, Nagi decided to create reusable underwear.
Water-absorbing underwear was created for all women to live well with their bodies. The process itself took a year and a half by listening to the real voices of 150 women. For the packaging, they use paper instead of plastic to wrap the product. The tube-shaped packaging can be reused in daily life as a container. Each item is handcrafted in Japan.
Nagi wanted to create a product that can be worn with any kind of style on any day. They believe that people should be able to live as they are with confidence on any day.
To empower women’s initiative in Japanese society
Nagi was created by Rina Ishi, the CEO of empowerment web media BLAST. Inc. Focusing on social issues, gender equality, and sex education. This media was born in order to emphasize the inequality of gender problems in Japanese society. And to make women realize that they’re the main character in their life. Nagi is one of the missions inspired by BLAST.
“BLAST grows bigger through the audiences who empathize its concept: We empower every woman in various industries,” says Ishi. “To make our “normal” change, to make people live by accepting who your true self is. This growth made me want to do more. I wanted to make something committing our lifestyle. I asked myself, what is the negative thing women always face on daily basis? The answer was simple.”
Since BLAST set sex education as their one of the main theme, it was natural for her to come up with the idea. Creating reusable and yet comfortable underwear for everyone. Asking “what is your body anxiety” was one of the important keys to lead women to think about their bodies carefully. Thinking about what is good for you, and your body will guide Japanese women to show their initiative.
More options and more positivity
It is impossible to resolve various difficulties that every woman has with one product. However, by focusing on the most answered topics and based on her own experiences, Nagi could afford to provide valuable items.
In Japan, period products have been the same for one thing. One time use and it’s embarrassing. Whenever we buy napkins, shop stuff always put them in paperback to hide from others as if it’s embarrassing. These “normal” that society created made women miserable for having a period. The period is natural and a necessity for our lives. It’s never been something to be ashamed of. Having a reusable and yet enjoyable product for the period empower women’s daily life.
All images in this article are courtesy of Nagi.
