Aisle (known as Lunapads from 1993 to 2019) is a business in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, Canada that manufactures washable feminine hygiene products, including cloth menstrual pads, period underwear, and

menstrual cups A menstrual cup is a menstrual hygiene device which is inserted into the vagina during menstruation. Its purpose is to collect menstrual fluid (blood from the uterine lining mixed with other fluids). Menstrual cups are usually made of flexible ...

. Aisle mentored AFRIpads, a project started to help resolve the issue of girls in developing nations missing school due to a lack of adequate sanitary protection and resources available to manage their periods.

Overview

History

The products were designed and created by fashion designer Madeleine Shaw in 1993. Shaw wrote the first business plan for Lunapads in 1994, and in 1995 opened a store and small production facility. In 1999 Lunapads was co-founded with Suzanne Siemens, an accountant that Shaw met at a community leadership course. Sharing a similar business vision, they combined their skills to develop Lunapads as an international company. The companies mission was "to create a more positive and informed relationship between woman and their bodies and the Earth". In 2020, Lunapads rebranded as Aisle.

Description

Lunapads were a liner-on-top style cloth menstrual pad as opposed to the more common "envelope" style. The pads have two parts; a Pad Base which snaps around the underwear of the wearer and a Liner Insert which is inserted under two bands on either end of the pad. They are made with 100% cotton flannel and 100% cotton fleece, and each pad consists of two layers of 100% cotton flannel base topped with a central pad made of one layer of nylon and two layers of 100% cotton fleece with bands at either end to hold liners. This product was discontinued in 2020, and replaced with an all-in-one design using technical cotton. Luna Undies were period underwear, designed to function on their own as a menstrual product. A nine-inch long panel of 100% cotton fleece is sewn permanently into the gusset, with cotton bands at each end to hold liner inserts. Luna Undies are most frequently considered a menstrual product, but are also worn as

maternity ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...

underwear (

prenatal Prenatal development () includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal devel ...

and

post-partum The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to end within 6 weeks as the mother's body, including hormone levels and uterus size, returns to a non-pregnant state. The terms puerperium, puerperal perio ...

), and used by those who experience light or stress incontinence. This product was discontinued in 2020, and replaced with Aisle Undies.

References

Additional sources

* * * * {{Cite news, last=Lau, first=Lucy, date=May 21, 2019, title=Meet the Vancouver Businesses That are Fighting Period Stigma, work=

Vancouver Magazine ''Vancouver Magazine'' is an English-language lifestyle magazine focused on Vancouver, British Columbia and the Lower Mainland. ''Vancouver Magazine'' describes its mission as informing, guiding and entertaining residents of a "dynamic, internati ...

, url=https://www.vanmag.com/meet-the-vancouver-businesses-that-are-fighting-period-stigma, access-date=October 24, 2022

External links

Official website
:
Chatelaine: Your Greenest Time of the Month. Period.

Founding Canadian B Corporation: Aisle

Media Planet: Addressing a Monthly Issue

Aisle CEO, Suzanne Siemens, on the Importance of Listening to Customers
Feminine hygiene brands