'Nikini' sanitary garment in original packaging

White 'Nikini' sanitary garment, designed to hold disposable Nikini sanitary pads, in original packaging, with Woolworth price sticker (31p), Robinsons of Chesterfield, 1971-1979

Before self-adhesive menstrual pads entered the market in the early 1970s, disposable pads had to be secured between the user’s legs with an elastic belt worn around the waist. As well as being uncomfortable, these garments were prone to slippage – and there was no mechanism to stop blood seeping through the pad once it was full.

British inventor Valerie Hunter Gordon, who designed the world’s first disposable nappy, decided menstruators deserved better. In 1957 she patented a two-part system; customised pads that could be attached to a washable, bikini-like knicker (hence the name) with a waterproof lining to provide additional protection against leaks. The Nikini garment had two tabs at the front that fastened with press studs through holes in the pad for a more secure fit.