Summary: Celiac.com 05/20/2020 - Yasemin Emory and Whitney Geller, the duo behind branding agency Whitman Emorson, recently launched Jems, a line of gluten-free, vegan condoms that is sweeping aside outdated ideas about how condoms are made, branded and sold, to help more people, especially Gen-Z, to have safer sex. The two did not set out to create a new condom. They did it out of their own alienation from the current condom offerings and the way they are marketed and sold. Geller says that the genesis for the idea came in 2019, when both some were between pregnancies and looking for a birth control alternative in the condom aisle. Faced with packaging bursting with male torsos, black silk sheets, and names like Trojan and Magnum, the two "felt really alienated," says Emory. Realizing that they were likely not alone in their alienation, the two began to think about the problem, and a potential solution. They really felt like the marketing and branding behind condoms was retrograde and needed a fresh approach. Their research showed that condom use had declined for six years straight, while STDs had risen steadily. Seeing their branding experience as a strong asset, the two set out to create a condom that would appeal to younger people, and be marketed to them in a way that is similar to other products aimed at youth. Emory notes that numerous youth-oriented products are now branded "in a such way that you want to leave it on your shelf." Their research also showed that "young people...only buy condoms at pharmacies that have self checkouts because they find the whole experience so embarrassing," says Geller. Emory adds that, partly because condoms have been marketed as disease protection, they have become stigmatized as "being the antithesis of pleasure." With all of the progress on marketing, and product evolution in other areas, such as men's skin care, the two felt that "safe sex, and condoms in particular, have been left out of that step forward," says Geller. For Geller and Emory, features developed by condom makers like bumps, ridges, flavors, colors are a weak attempt to solve the problem. The two believe that condoms should, first and foremost, be about pleasure. So, the pair ditched the traditional condom approach in favor of simplicity, good health, and smart marketing. Jems condoms are made from natural latex and silicone. The condoms are non-toxic, vegan and gluten free. The gluten-free part was important to Geller, because she has celiac disease. Aimed at conscious consumers, Jems are currently available on their web site, and at UrbanOutfitters.com, Whole Foods, well.ca, Healthy Planet and some boutiques in Toronto. Currently, Jems are only available in the Toronto, Canada market, but the team is looking to expand. Their plan is to make Jems available anywhere coffee is sold. Celiac.com will be sure to keep an eye on this story, so stay tuned for new developments. Read the interview in Torontolife.com
