Under Wraps

what's in your wallet?: Renee Life's company, Nature's Bookbag, specializes in stylish accessories for safe sex. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

A fashion statement that keeps your protection protected.

by Helen i-lin Hwang

Renee Life, owner and founder of local company Nature's Bookbag, thinks sex is an act as basic as eating and sleeping. A safe-sex advocate, Life specializes in condom wallets -- small, square-shaped carrying cases that snugly fit a condom package in each of the two pockets. "Sex is a very natural thing," she says. "You have condoms for something that is natural. And you have the carrying case for the condoms." On that simple premise, a company was born, complete with the slogan: "When nature calls, don't forget your bookbag."

These vinyl accessories fold over to make a "wallet" no bigger than the palm of your hand. You can select your personal style from more than 50 designs, including a variety of colors, leopard skin, tortoise shell, antelope, even a 3-D hologram of puckering red lips that open and close when you move the wallet around. For five bucks, you get a wallet and a complimentary set of two condoms.

Made of soft, durable plastic, the condom wallets easily drop into a purse or pocket. "It's small enough to fit in any place," touts Life. And you don't have to be embarrassed if someone sees it, since you can maintain your privacy with these cute accessories. There will be no more mortifying moments -- never again will a condom fall out of your purse in the supermarket checkout line -- now that there is a more discreet way to hide your protection. What's better than a little vinyl for your rubbers?

One of the biggest dangers in condom-carrying is that the packages might get worn or torn. The protective covering of Nature's Bookbag adds an extra layer of protection so the condom won't get a puncture. Be warned though: Condoms are also not supposed to be kept in warm places or they'll lose their effectiveness, so be careful where you store your condom wallet; the adage about not cramming a condom into your regular wallet still applies.

It's on the consumer to use the condom wallets safely -- as Life says, "I'm not in the condom business." Rather, her forte is creating stylish ways to carry them. She cites Paris as a foreign market where it's important to be fashionable, and she's betting on that sense of "chicness" carrying over worldwide. Right now she's finding her merchandise popular with high-school and college students, but the fashion tote is for a product that appeals to all ages.

Folks in Philly can pick up condom wallets at Condom Kingdom on South Street or order from her website,

www.naturesbookbag.com

, which is geared for "those people who want privacy. They don’t have to leave home. And they can see the availability of styles and colors."

Even the Philadelphia Health Department has placed an order for Life’s condom wallets, to distribute in an STD prevention program for high-school students. Life also hopes programs using her product will discuss pregnancy, an issue Life thinks parents of high schoolers are in denial about. "It’s really ridiculous because they come home pregnant. And then you wonder where you went wrong."

It wasn't pregnancy that Life was worried about when she first came up with the plan for condom wallets 10 years ago, though -- she had a much deadlier problem on her mind. "It was an idea that came to me at night. I [was] thinking of HIV first, I [was] thinking of condoms. How [could] I help in this fight against AIDS and also serve a purpose? It was like, bingo -- a condom wallet," says Life. "AIDS is one of the STDs that is not [to be] taken lightly because you can die from it. And regardless of all the medication you have out there, some people don't respond to the medication as other people do. It's a serious situation and people still need to protect themselves." Though advocacy was what inspired her, she views herself as an entrepreneur who "hopes to makes a difference [by promoting] the use of condoms."

Like any smart businesswoman, Life obtained a patent on her unique product, a process that took three years. Nowadays, her wallets are sold at condom boutiques not only in Philadelphia but also in Boston and New York. An adult video store in North Carolina carries Nature's Bookbag products and now a drugstore in the Big Apple is selling them. She's been approached for parties and will even customize the condom wallets with a logo or company name.

In the spring, Nature's Bookbag will hold a citywide talent search featuring a hip-hop, open-mic singing and dancing contest, judged by recording artists, writers and those in the entertainment business. Proceeds will benefit AIDS research and education. Life also has plans to hold a fashion show, a fitting tribute to her company's mission. After all, even your latex can play dress-up.

Nature’s Bookbag products are available at www.naturesbookbag.com, 215-927-3600 or 800-349-0226, or at Condom Kingdom, 437 South St., 215-829-1668.