Why did you launch a menstrual pad designed for cycling?
Céline: When I came up with the idea of creating Wilma, I wanted to help women with their cycling.
Every product I envisioned had to serve a purpose and offer a genuine benefit to women, while also taking a serious approach to responsible product design.
It was early 2020, and we were right in the midst of the period panty revolution—a striking realization: there was nothing of the sort available for women who cycle regularly.
And just like that, the idea for the menstrual pad was born!
The creation of this pad represents a real step forward for women’s empowerment. It frees elite athletes and female practitioners from the mental burden, stress, and constraints that menstrual cycles can cause.
How did you go about it?
Vicky: When Céline came up with the idea for this menstrual pad, we looked into how pads are currently made. How are they constructed? Why are they made that way?
We had to understand each layer in order to put together our future assembly.
Then, we had to understand the requirements:
- Absorption
- Quick-drying
- Breathability
- Easy to clean
- Durability
- Comfort
And above all, leak-proof
We had several discussions with our Italian cycling pad supplier to find solutions regarding materials and manufacturing. The choice of material is crucial for this type of product, as our private parts are in direct contact with the pad.
Then came the phase of prototyping and testing, a crucial step in product innovation.
We reached out to a few women named Wilma and, in confidence, asked them to test the various prototypes we had received. It was important to have women with fairly heavy periods to see if our product was truly effective.
The process took a few months, as women’s cycles typically occur every 21 to 40 days, and once it was complete, we spoke with each of them to get their feedback and learn about the pros and cons.
Further adjustments were then made to further improve the pad, until it fully met women’s expectations.
A year of work to revolutionize women’s cycling. It was well worth it.
Why the name: Bloody Queen
Aude: When the girls told me about their project to develop this menstrual pad, I thought it was a brilliant idea right away. How had an entire industry never thought of this before?!
This innovation—our own—needed a touch of branding, the perfect finishing touch for our beautiful bike: a few words that would capture our product, our values, and our sense of humor (because at Wilma, we love to laugh).
The combination of the Queen inside you and the blood flowing through your veins—awesome!
This pad will be called the Bloody Queen. As a tribute to all the queens who descend or climb its mountains while pushing their limits, this is the image of the woman Wilma.
What a badass chick!
Rules are meant to be broken!
This menstrual pad has become the Bloody Queen—the pad that will change your life.
It's built into all our cycling shorts and bib shorts!
