Zoe Sugg, Maisie Williams partner with WaterAid to launch ‘period bags’

A host of famous faces have partnered with charity WaterAid to create limited edition ‘period bags’.

YouTuber Zoe Sugg, Game of Thrones actor Maisie Williams and model and founder of Gurls Talk, Adwoa Aboah have designed the bags on behalf of Fempowered, WaterAid’s new period subscription box.

The stars are backing WaterAid’s campaign to encourage people to talk more openly about periods which can help to tackle taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation.

Sales from the period bags, which retail at £13 a piece including postage, will go towards tackling period poverty in countries where girls have no access to decent toilet facilities.

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Each bag has been made with sustainable cotton and is designed to fit period products.

In a press release, WaterAid says: “On any given day around 300 million people are menstruating, but for many their period can bring shame and isolation. In some communities’ periods are considered a curse, excluding those who are menstruating from society every time they bleed.

“These taboos and stigma exist in the UK too. WaterAid research found that fewer than two in five Brits (37%) feel comfortable talking about periods. People’s embarrassment means hiding tampons up your sleeves may be commonplace in the UK, with two thirds of women (65%) feeling uncomfortable openly carrying their period products to the toilet in public.”

The bespoke period bags have slogans like ‘feeling bloody brilliant’ and ‘own your flow’.

Vlogger Zoe Sugg, of Zoella fame, designed a celestial black and white bag. She said: “I’m so proud to be working with Fempowered to bring more attention to the many girls around the world who have to miss school due to a lack of decent toilets or who drop out entirely. A period should never be something that holds anyone back and I hope the design we’ve worked on with WaterAid helps you own your flow with dignity.”

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Maisie Williams collaborated with a designer for her abstract bag. The actor said: “It’s shocking that one in four women and girls around the world don’t have access to a decent toilet. How are they meant to manage during their period? By helping create these unique period bags I’m campaigning to make life fairer for girls everywhere.”

Adwoa Aboah took a slightly different route with her design, instead picking one from a competition she hosted within her Gurls Talk community. Lex Blair, a US-based graphic designer was chosen as the winner for her pictures of a woman surfing crimson waves.

Aboah said of the bags: “No girl deserves to feel embarrassed about her period. It’s only blood. That’s why I’m fighting this discrimination with WaterAid. The proceeds from the limited-edition period bags will help women around the world manage their periods safely. Dignity shouldn’t be optional. ”

For more information about the bags, visit fempowered.me

Watch: Everything you need to know about your period