ooia story
The female empowerment company ooia is the heart project of two friends: Kristine and Kati. Learn more about us personally by following us on our popular Instagram account @its.me.ooia.
ooia story
We, Kristine and Kati, have known each other for a decade. For many years we discussed work-life balance, being working moms and women and thought a lot about the sense behind it all.
More and more, the desire to also have a positive impact on society grew in our minds. As managers in large companies and mentors, we had already supported the careers of many women, but the topics of "female empowerment" and sustainability should become the center of our future work.
On top of that, we were increasingly disturbed by the fact that the German job market hardly offered the option of a challenging management role with flexible working hours and locations. We are both mothers and have a total of five children - all under nine. We wanted to have just as demanding jobs as our husbands and male friends - but at the same time also accompany our children as they growing up (as our partners do to).
So we kept playing with the idea of building something of our own that would make a difference in the world - according to our own ideas, far from corporate guidelines. One day we came across it: the period panty. At a dinner, an acquaintance told us about this new product from the US. It sounded exciting - and these products were not yet available in Germany. The experiences of users proved: These products gave women* new freedom. Users were euphoric, grateful, inspired - therefore we thought: We want to make this possible for women* in Europe, too! In addition, the product was in line with our desire to live more environmentally conscious, as it can replace disposable products, like tampons and pads.
The time of research began: Period underwear from abroad was sourced and tested and we were quickly sure we could do better! With the help of scientist friends, we tinkered with initial ideas, consulted textile experts and product developers, interviewed gynecologists, and requested material samples from suppliers across Europe. In parallel, we conducted smaller focus groups to better understand the needs of women*. In June 2018, we held the prototype of ooia period underwear in our hands for the first time - and by August of the same year, we had both quit our previous jobs and founded ooia.
Want to test ooia period underwear and get excited? We have already sold over 1.150.000 products. All over Europe they are worn and loved.
proud to tackle the 2nd taboo - the ooia moms nursing bra
As founders of a female empowerment company, we knew that we would develop innovative products for women* in many areas.
We, Kati and Kristine, are mothers ourselves, breastfed our total of five children and learned how stigma-laden this topic is.
It is a concern to us, with you as a community to push the de-tabooing of breastfeeding.
Your breasts, your baby, your life.
ooia is a heart project of both of us, for which we have quit our stable jobs of many years. Here we want to share a little more about us personally.
hi, it's me, kati
I'm Kati, I live in and love Berlin, and apart from ooia, I mainly spend time with my three Little Ernsts and my husband.
I've always been quite restless and have already lived in seven countries. But since the birth of our first daughter, we have firmly rooted ourselves in Berlin. The desire to travel has remained and we spend several months abroad every year; in 2019, for example, we moved to Sydney for two months - and worked from there. Planning these trips and making them possible is certainly our greatest hobby. Otherwise, we enjoy being by the water, in the Brandenburg countryside, or trying new types of ice cream together in Berlin's ice cream parlors.
I myself appreciate good strong coffee and am finally reading more books again, currently my favorite being non-fiction books about the female body and female empowerment.
My personal development has always been very important to me. After studying in Münster, I worked as a management consultant for 12 years. Now the desire grew in me to take the organization of my working life into my own hands, and also to make an increased contribution to society through my profession. And so ooia came along.
hi, it's me, kristine
I'm Kristine and I live in Berlin with my awesome husband and my two wild daughters.
I love our garden and enjoy spending as much time as possible in nature. My heart swells when I do yoga in our garden in the morning and the old trees rustle above my head. In addition to ooia, I am engaged in mindfulness, especially meditation and yoga. Generally, I try to go through life mindfully.
When my hectic life as a working mom allows it, I love to read (my all time favourite is "What was left of the day" by Ishiguro) and am interested in art and culture.
After many years in leading positions at Zalando, I am infinitely grateful to build up my own business where I can live and work according to my values. My goal is to build a sustainable company that leaves a positive impact on the world and at the same time considers all the people who work with and for us as a whole and not just as "service providers" or "employees".
hi, we're the ooia team
ooia is growing and we are happy to have a great team supporting us! We work as independent of time and location as possible - but are always very happy to see each other in our beloved ooia office in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg. We are currently 45 people and are always looking for new colleagues - feel free to check out our Jobs page, maybe we'll meet in person soon.
ooshi heißt jetzt ooia
