We meet: Yoppie
On a given day 800 million women around the world are on their period. And on that same day, countless women and girls, two thirds even, feel uncomfortable openly carrying their sanitary items to the bathroom. We meet a brand seeking to help shift the taboo around periods, provide products that are organic and free from added toxins and synthetics, and talk openly about women’s health – for every stage of life.
“We were shocked,” Daniella, founder of Yoppie explains, “realising that the pads, tampons and liners of the big brands we’ve been using contain materials that are proven to not be that healthy for our body.” Often formulated with plastics, polyester and heavily bleached with chlorine, Daniella and her co-founder spotted a problem. “Our vagina actually absorbs more than our mouth. We care about how well we eat, what we’re drinking, what we put in our mouths but we never cared about sanitary products,” she adds.
This realisation led to forming the brand. In pretty minty boxes, Yoppie provide organic cotton tampons, liners and pads, without any dioxins, chlorine traces, phthalates and other substances found in many sanitary products. With everything sourced environmentally from Europe, eliminating as much plastic as possible and going back to the raw materials, the brand seeks to be kinder to you and kinder to the environment. You can subscribe, so every month Yoppie products will arrive through the letter box (they come in just the right size box), without you even having to think about it. The brand name “is a very bad shortening of Your Happy Period,” Daniella laughs.
The time is now
While so much has changed, periods are still largely a taboo topic. “I think our daughters hopefully will be in a better place,” Daniella muses. We’re really inspired by her vision. Part of the DNA of her brand is to show women as they really are, not reducing stretch marks and showcasing women of all body sizes.
“There’s never been a brand that has actually recognises the menstrual cycle for what it truly is,” she explains. “It’s like a part of our lives. It’s not just a period of time.” The brand seeks to provide guidance on the topics we might be too embarrassed to ask about – to be a personalised companion for women’s health for every stage of life.
Worked out
We were really struck by Daniella’s humble, honest and brave approach to business – a busy mum, juggling her own company and family life. “I’m probably at the moment the worst CEO because I’m a few days behind on everything,” she laughs. Her advice for founding a business? Just do it. “Remember that feeling when you had a shop when you were smaller, and you were taking payments from your mother for an apple, you were playing bigger than you are. And it’s exactly the same when you have a business. Go into the role. Go into being the CEO.”
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Yes, it might just be an idea in your head.
But treat it as if it could be the next best thing.”
“If it works, it works, but if it doesn’t, that’s ok because failure doesn’t define you as a person.” It’s a really freeing perspective. The people that inspire her? So many but actually “women overall. Every woman I meet I’m inspired by”.
Dream big
The vision for Yoppie is to redefine how women’s health and periods are thought of. “It is a big vision and I’m so proud we have a lot of competitors, a lot of women and men fighting for the same end goal, to make it not a taboo anymore”. The brand is seeking to empower women, to push the conversation about period poverty, to bring these topics to the fore. And it’s a vision we’re fully on board with. If 800 million women are on their period right now, there’s 800 reasons to go after that vision. And 800 reasons why we love Yoppie’s products.
Shop Yoppie products online, follow on Instagram and from mid-October, the brand are launching a new personalised service that aims to change the way women experience period care.
