SWITCH: Rethinking menstrual care through design and empathy
- Written byS Popo-Williams
- Published date 05 November 2025
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When MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation student Sharon Rodrigues began exploring how design could change the way people experience menstruation, she wasn’t just creating a product - she was redefining care. Her project, SWITCH, is part of LCF’s Postgraduate Class of 2025: Fashion Business School Exhibition, and brings empathy, science, and sustainability together in one thoughtful design.
It has been about finding balance between safety, comfort and sustainability. Menstrual cups are intimate products, so comfort and performance have to come first, but sustainability is equally important. Working with biodegradable materials meant constantly testing flexibility, softness and durability.
In this feature, Sharon shares how SWITCH evolved from lived experience to award-winning innovation, and how her research helped her craft a future where design meets dignity, comfort and gives women a choice.
From experience to design
It all started with Mira, my housemaid back home in India. One day, she told me she had missed work because she didn’t have proper period products, and using cloth had given her infections. That conversation broke something in me. It wasn’t just about her missing work; it was about how something so natural was still filled with shame, pain and silence.
Years later, when I discovered menstrual cups, I realised how life-changing they could be. They’re safer, sustainable and long-lasting, but also incredibly misunderstood. I knew that most women like Mira would never even hear about them. That was the moment SWITCH was born; it came from wanting to bridge that gap, to design something approachable and empowering for every woman.
During my early research in Karnataka, I spoke with more than 100 menstruators about their experiences. One girl said something that has never left me: “I just wish someone showed me how to use it instead of telling me it’s not for girls like us.”
That line changed everything. It made me realise that the real problem isn’t the product - it’s the lack of trust, guidance and representation. From that moment, I knew SWITCH couldn’t just be about selling cups. It had to be about education, mentorship and community support.
Adoption doesn’t come from information alone; it comes from human connection.
Designing inclusivity and ease
I’ve used menstrual cups for over 11 years, and even now I struggle to find one that feels completely right. Through my own experience and through countless conversations with others, I learned that everybody is different. That curiosity pushed me to dig deeper.
Coming from a fashion background, I had never studied anatomy before, so I started learning directly from medical professionals. That’s when I discovered something incredible: when pressure is released in specific areas of the vaginal canal, it can actually help relieve cramps. That moment changed how I saw menstrual design forever.
Every curve and ridge of SWITCH was built around that understanding. The goal was to create a product that not only works but feels like it understands your body.
3D printing became a vital part of this process because it turned imagination into something real. It’s one thing to sketch an idea and another to hold it in your hands. The prototypes we created are printed at an exaggerated scale so people can see the details clearly. When they touch it, when they ask questions - that breaks the silence around menstrual cups.
None of us came from a medical background, so it was all about trial, learning and iteration. The process helped us refine the shape, proportions and surface. More than that, it made people curious.
Entrepreneurship with purpose
Studying on the MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation course at LCF completely changed the way I think. It taught me how to approach design not just as a creative, but as a problem solver. I learned to blend empathy, research and business thinking, and to see fashion as something far beyond clothing.
Entrepreneurship can have heart. It can be driven by empathy and still be commercially viable.
Fashion is about people, innovation and purpose. That mindset has guided every decision with SWITCH, from the product design to the social model behind it.
Winning the silver prize at the LCF Enterprise Challenge 2025 was a turning point. It reminded me that entrepreneurship can have heart. It can be driven by empathy and still be commercially viable. That recognition gave me the confidence to believe in the power of design-led social change.
Beyond the prototype
The next step for SWITCH is to begin distribution in Karnataka through local NGOs and schools. Each cup will be paired with education and guidance because access only works when people feel confident using it.
At the same time, I’m continuing research with material scientists to finalise the biodegradable version using plant-based biopolymers. The aim is to make menstrual care that’s safer for both people and the planet.
You don’t need to be an expert in science or business to create something meaningful – you just need curiosity and compassion.
SWITCH is still at the beginning of its journey, but the mission is clear: to build trust, create access and bring menstrual health into open conversation everywhere.
When people see my work at the exhibition, I hope they feel curious, comfortable and inspired. I want them to see SWITCH not just as a menstrual product, but as a symbol of openness and empowerment.
If I’ve learned one thing from this journey, it’s that change starts small, but it must start real. You don’t need to be an expert in science or business to create something meaningful; you just need curiosity and compassion. Collaboration has been everything for me. Working with doctors, designers, and peers taught me that innovation happens when disciplines meet.
Most importantly, make sure what you build serves someone other than yourself. Even if it changes one life, it’s worth it.
Visit Sharon’s display at LCF's Postgraduate Class of 2025: Fashion Business School Exhibition and explore how empathy and innovation can reshape the future of menstrual care.
LCF Postgraduate Class of 2025: Fashion Business School Exhibition is open until 8 November 2025 at LCF’s East Bank campus.
