Moms behind Jems condoms want to help Gen Z have safer sex

Design studio partners Yasemin Emory and Whitney Geller were between pregnancies and on the hunt for a birth control-pill alternative, so they hit the condom aisle — and were horrified at what they found. An overwhelming amount of choice. Ribs! Bumps! Flavours! Dated packaging, with toned male torsos splayed across black satin sheets! No ingredient lists anywhere!

(Read about sex educator Samantha Bitty, who’s on a mission to promote sexual health.)

“After doing our own research, we learned that some commonly found condom ingredients are toxic and can actually cause allergic reactions or off-balance pH levels,” Geller says. “Then there is the fact that the condom industry still propagates toxic masculinity and outdated stereotypes in its marketing and advertising. We knew we couldn’t be the only ones who felt alienated.”

As seasoned design veterans, the pair decided to start Jems, offering simple condoms free from unnecessary ingredients and embarrassing branding. And they knew immediately who to target. “We focused on Gen Z, a young group who celebrate a multiplicity of gender and sexual expressions,” says Geller. “Not only are they not represented in the current market, they need access to more education around condom use, STI prevention and sex.” STIs have reached a new all-time high for the sixth consecutive year in a row, after all, according to the CDC. The culprits? The current state of sex ed isn’t helping, according to Geller: “In Canada, the quality of sex ed varies from province to province and is contingent on available resources. Despite the advent of the internet and smartphones, the curriculum has yet to change. Young people are learning far too much about sex from porn which clearly perpetuates troublesome stereotypes and questionable practices. Young people deserve better.”

“Beyond this, as mothers with young children, we are passionate about changing how the next generation perceives condoms,” Emory adds. “We truly want to make sex safer for all. We knew we could, with good design and communication, speak to audiences that had been misrepresented or left out entirely. There’s been a big movement in the sexual-wellness space — you can buy vibrators at Indigo now — which is great, but not a lot of focus on safer sex products. That’s what we’re interested in.”

Jems comes with simple ingredients — ultra-thin natural latex, 100 per cent silicone lube, nothing more — printed big, right on the box. They’re also vegan, and gluten- and cruelty-free. “Our whole approach is to flip the traditional relationship with condoms on its head” Emory says. “Typically, condoms are the most embarrassing product, put in the most embarrassing packaging and sold in the most embarrassing aisle of the supermarket or pharmacy. And we wonder why young people aren’t buying them?” A 2017 international Durex study found that 24 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 found carrying a condom all the time “uncool” and 54 per cent had had unprotected sex at least once; 38 per cent of men claimed they’d rather risk getting an STI than potentially miss out on sex if a partner didn’t want to use a condom.

Where they’re sold can hopefully help destigmatization. Despite censorship and shadowbanning on social media, and ineligibility for BDC’s Futurepreneur business grants due to the company’s safe-sex mission, Jems is determined to put condoms front and centre everywhere Gen Z hangs out: in coffee shops, retail boutiques, college campuses, bars — even vending machines.

“We want to increase condoms’ visibility by selling Jems alongside coffee, lip gloss and clothing,” Geller says. “That’s one way we can normalize condoms and foster a more open conversation around condom use.” Jems are currently carried in Urban Outfitters and launching in Whole Foods this spring. (Also available are little condom cases to ensure they don’t lose their efficacy stashed in a wallet.) Emory and Geller are also donating condoms to drop-in centres and clinics.

Emory and Geller say they have always aspired to use their design studio to create mission-driven work. “It’s not like we’re saving the world, but we are aware that design can impact public perception,” she says. “Our aim with Jems is to demonstrate design’s power to speak to people and make change.”