A Gynaecological Garment

Six out of ten women have already cancelled a gynaecological appointment because of stress, discomfort or a bad past experience, according to an IFOP survey. To address this, the young designer Lirjeta Maxhuni imagined a garment with carefully designed and crafted openings, so patients would no longer have to undress completely during a consultation.

Strategic openings

“It was complicated because I had no reference,” explains Lirjeta Maxhuni. At the École cantonale d'art de Lausanne, her research, focused on the link between objects and the body, led her to imagine what a garment designed specifically for gynaecological consultations might look like. After documenting patient and nursing staff testimonies through quantitative questionnaires, Lirjeta Maxhuni shadowed various gynaecologists for one semester to refine her outfit, Gynecare+. “I received positive feedback from patients and doctors who were particularly open to testing the product.” The garment has openings at the chest and pelvic levels. Discrete magnets allow the openings to be closed after the medical procedure. The current prototype is made of 100% organic cotton, a material used for medical garments and recommended by many gynaecologists: hypoallergenic and breathable, it reduces the risk of infection. It is manufactured in Lugano, Switzerland, by the company Dresdensia.

In 2024, her project, carried out as part of her bachelor’s degree, received the FIT Grant and funding from Pro Helvetia and the Casino Barrière de Montreux Foundation, enabling her to conduct a testing phase. A dozen gynaecologists from French-speaking Switzerland will be involved. “When I have the final prototype, the goal is to produce on a larger scale and distribute the garments in as many clinics and hospitals as possible, first in French-speaking Switzerland, then throughout Switzerland.”