Marks & Spencer has long been a destination for British women to buy knickers – and, this month, it is an option for even more of them. The retailer is the first high street store to sell knickers designed to be worn with a stoma bag.
Available from this weekend from selected stores and online, the knickers use pockets on the inside to accommodate a stoma or multiple stomas to help protect against leaks, while the high-waisted fit and wide waistband give support to the wearer. Priced at £18 for a three-pack, they are significantly cheaper than those available from specialist stores, which are typically about £14 a pair.
They are, however, not just practical. Like other knickers available from the retailer, these designs have different cuts – high-waist Brazilian and full brief – and come in a range of colours with lace panels. They also can be bought with matching bras – something that has not been easily available for women living with stomas until now.
The idea was first mooted by the M&S employee Jiggy Sohi, from her own experience of living with a stoma. “For years I’ve known there is a real gap in the market and last year I built up the confidence to do something about it,” she said.
The knickers have been tried and tested by Sohi and more than 20 women during the development process. M&S also worked with Colostomy UK to gain insight from experts. Soozie Jenkinson, the M&S head of lingerie design, said the biggest challenge was combining comfort and style. “Working with a group of women who are living with stoma bags to design these particular knickers really brought home to us the impact of how life-changing great underwear can be,” she said.
Even though 200,000 people live with stomas in the UK, it is not something that has been discussed often in the mainstream media. However, this is changing. Louise Thompson, the former Made In Chelsea star, revealed she had been fitted with a stoma in April, and there are other influencers including the model Jess Grossman and Holly April, who goes by the handle @stomababe on Instagram.
The fashion influencer Lucy Jane is open about living with her stoma bag to her followers. She says the most striking factor about the M&S range is the visibility it brings.
“Right now, we’re alienated. We’re so different that we can’t even get underwear from a high street retailer,” she said. “It’s such a small change but for young women to walk in somewhere and be like, ‘oh, that’s for me’, that’s just never really been seen.”
Jane will be buying some of the knickers for her grandmother, who has been living with a stoma for more than 50 years. “Compared to what she used to have back in the day, she’ll be amazed.”
