Nike Tackles On-Pitch Period Anxiety

Nike’s Leak Protection: Period shorts come with a built-in absorbent liner that acts as an anti-leak barrier when worn with a pad or tampon. The intention is to reduce player anxiety around leaks and bleed-through when on their period, allowing them to focus on their performance instead.

It’s been launched to coincide with this summer’s Fifa Women’s World Cup, where each of the 13 Nike-sponsored national teams will wear the shorts as part of their official kit. The announcement comes as several female football sides – including England’s national squad, Manchester City, and Orlando Pride – switched white shorts for darker colours in response to player concerns. Nike’s innovation takes this one step further by not just disguising potential leaks, but ensuring they’re avoided altogether, joining brands like Knix (Canada), Modibodi (Australia), Thinx and Paradis Sports (both US) in prioritising period-proof activewear.

“By age 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys,” Lisa Gibson, a senior project manager at Nike, told The Athletic. “By age 17 – an age at which most have gone through puberty – 51% will have quit sport.” While it remains a male-dominated industry, such developments – including in sectors like modest fashion and maternity – make sports more accessible than ever to female, transgender and non-binary athletes, for whom sportswear comes with extra considerations.

There’s huge consumer appetite for more inclusive activewear, and smart brands will fill this market gap instead of misconstruing the lack of accessibility in certain demographics as a lack of interest.