Only 2% of Chinese women use tampons, as opposed to 70% in the west. Our creation of tampon brand Fémme harnesses the power of branding to drive the kind of cultural change young Chinese women have been waiting for.

Believed to compromise virginity, tampons are one of China's most stigmatised cultural taboos. Where countless corporations have tried and failed to bring their western tampon brands to market, Chinese challenger Yoai is accelerating behavioural change by challenging - and changing - ingrained perceptions of the poorly understood product.

Injecting confidence and positivity into the traditionally apologetic category, we rooted our strategic approach to the brand creation in the mission of empowering "the woman within."

The name 'Fémme' shifts perceptions of menstruation from patronising to positive, while the identity and packaging design - simultaneously stylish and discreet - elevates the product from basic pharma to high-end lifestyle.

Used by just 2% of the female population, tampons are one of China's most stigmatised cultural taboos. Intent on changing perceptions of the poorly understood product, Yoai approached us to inject confidence into the typically apologetic feminine care category. Femme - a tampon range rooted in empowering "the woman within" - shifts perceptions of menstruation from patronising to positive by elevating the product from basic pharma to high-end lifestyle.

The brand mark – a Chinese character of womanhood – is discreet and easily recognised by those in the know, while the elegant line illustration inserts educate customers about how to use tampons.

The brand mark – a Chinese character of womanhood – is easily recognised by those in the know without overtly communicating the idea of 'tampon' or 'period'.

Rooting the rebrand in the to inject confidence and positivity into the typically apologetic feminine care category, we rooted Femme in the mission of empowering "the woman within." We set out to design a tampon brand that women would be proud to carry with them in their handbags, in turn shifting perceptions of menstruation from patronising to positive; from conservative to boldly symbolic of contemporary female identity.

Every element of Femme – the name, identity, design details and packaging structures – is dignified and desirable, rejecting the typically apologetic cues of feminine care to elevate the product from basic pharma to high-end lifestyle. The brand mark – stylish and discreet, a Chinese character of womanhood – is easily recognised by those in the know without overtly communicating the idea of 'tampon' or 'period', while beautiful line illustrations educate consumers about how to use the products.

Stigmatised by cultural misconceptions and concerns around how to use tampons as well as their effectiveness, China's tampon market is practically non-existent, constituting just 1% of the £60,7 billion feminine care industry. In recent years, however, as ripples of western feminism have stirred in China, commercial interest in tampons has begun to grow, with a distinct disconnect emerging between the nature of the category and the aspirations of young Chinese women.

We injected confidence and positivity into a traditionally apologetic category, the result is a brand that women are confident to carry with them in their handbags.