SINGAPORE: When I began developing Svelte, I saw an opportunity to approach a long-overlooked category differently.
Incontinence affects millions across life stages. It can occur after childbirth, during menopause, following surgery or cancer treatment, as part of disability or chronic illness, and through ageing. Despite this, the category has been slow to evolve. Products are still often packaged in oversized formats, placed in hidden corners of stores, and designed with clinical language that doesn’t reflect the needs or identities of the people using them.
Svelte is a new comfort-first pull-up continence underwear, designed in Australia and crafted in Japan. It is fully breathable through to the waist, soft and designed with a lighter, less bulky profile for a more discreet feel under clothing. From the outset, my goal wasn’t just to improve the product but to shift how this category is presented, perceived, and accessed.
Too often, the continence aisle assumes one type of customer, however, the reality is much broader. People may experience incontinence at any age. They may be recovering from surgery, caring for a child with disability, going through menopause, or managing health issues over the long term. Some wear products every day while others need support for shorter periods.
Many are looking for solutions that feel discreet, comfortable and normal. Yet the design and retail experience surrounding continence products has not kept pace with expectations in other categories.
By listening to people’s stories and drawing on my background in global health procurement, I wanted to create something that considered both product performance and user experience. That meant collaborating with Japanese manufacturing specialists, prioritising breathability and comfort, and making conscious decisions about the name, packaging and positioning.
A retail experience built around dignity and choice
The retail experience plays a critical role in how people discover, assess and purchase continence products. In a category shaped by stigma, packaging and placement can either reinforce discomfort or invite customers in.
We chose the name Svelte to suggest lightness, movement and quiet confidence. The visual identity follows the same thinking. Muted tones, minimal design and a calm, modern palette help remove the visual signals that often make these products feel institutional.
For a boutique pharmacy or premium retail environment, this is particularly important. Customers should feel at ease asking questions, picking up a pack or adding it to their basket without hesitation.
By rethinking how continence products are presented, categorised and discussed, retailers can help shift customer experience from one of concealment to one of clarity and ease.
A traditionally clinical category
Many continence products remain medically positioned, with packaging that reinforces stigma and products that often prioritise capacity over comfort.
At Svelte, we approached every aspect of the brand with dignity and discretion in mind. Built to blend, not broadcast, the name and packaging are deliberately subtle and refined, designed to respect the customer’s privacy and sense of identity.
Our aim was to create something wearable and discreet, balancing practical absorbency with comfort and everyday wearability.
Putting the wearer at the centre
My background includes international health supply, with experience supplying a range of health products to various United Nations agencies and NGOs. That experience has taught me that meeting people’s needs starts with understanding them properly and that is especially true in personal health.
Before Svelte launched, I spent time listening to people managing incontinence every day. I spoke with new mothers recovering from birth trauma, women navigating menopause, people living with disability and those caring from them, people recovering from medical treatment, and older Australians who want to stay active and social.
Across these conversations, a common thread emerged. Many people wore continence products all day, every day, but described them as bulky, hot or uncomfortable. They wanted something more discreet, breathable and wearable. They also wanted brands and retail environments that acknowledged them as people, not just patients.
A category overdue for evolution
Retailers have transformed other once-clinical categories. Menstrual products, skincare and sexual wellness have shifted towards lifestyle, education and design. Packaging and presentation have changed how these products are seen, talked about and sold.
The continence category is ready for the same evolution.
Continence needs are common, diverse and often hidden. Many people shop with caution or hesitation, especially when stigma or embarrassment are involved.
Retailers can create space for a more human experience by integrating continence products into broader wellness and self-care categories and merchandising with sensitivity.
Svelte is made to support comfort, movement and dignity, and a brand built to feel more human. We believe continence support should enable fearless freedom, not define the person wearing it.