Reclaiming the pocket: How Secrid empowers women this international Women’s Day
At first glance, the pocket may seem like a minor design feature. Yet it quietly shapes how people move through their day. This International Women’s Day, Dutch wallet brand Secrid highlights the ongoing “pocket gap,” the persistent design imbalance between men’s and women’s clothing pockets, and what it reveals about mobility, independence, and how we carry the essentials of daily life.
For many women, getting dressed still involves a practical calculation: what can actually fit in their pockets? Essentials such as a phone, keys or cards often end up redistributed into handbags or carried by hand. When clothing cannot accommodate everyday items, mobility becomes less effortless. What seems like a small design detail quickly turns into a daily compromise. Secrid has built its philosophy around compact “pocketwear” and tackles the question: How can the objects we carry support freedom of movement rather than restrict it?
A design imbalance
The disparity between men’s and women’s pockets is well documented. An analysis by the data journalism platform The Pudding found that women’s front pockets on jeans from major US brands were on average 48 percent shorter and 6.5 percent narrower than men’s. In their test, fewer than half of the women’s pockets could fully accommodate common smartphone models. While pockets were not originally designed with smartphones in mind, the study highlights how contemporary lifestyles increasingly challenge traditional garment construction.
The difference also has historical roots. From the 17th century onward, many women in Europe wore tie-on pockets beneath their skirts, decorative, detachable accessories used to carry personal items, as documented by the V& A Museum in London. Men’s garments, by contrast, increasingly integrated sewn-in pockets directly into coats, waistcoats and breeches. As silhouettes narrowed during the 19th century, functional storage in womenswear diminished further and handbags gradually became the primary solution.
Why the pocket gap persists
Several factors contribute to the persistence of small or non-functional pockets in women’s garments. From a production perspective, deeper pockets require additional fabric, reinforcement and pattern adjustments. In cost-driven mass production, these details are often among the first to be reduced or removed. Economic dynamics also play a role. When garments cannot comfortably carry everyday essentials, bags become a necessity, sustaining a strong accessories market. Cultural conventions have reinforced this divide as well.
As Christian Dior famously remarked in 1954, men have pockets “to keep things in,” while women’s pockets were often treated as decorative. More recently, The Guardian has reported on growing campaigns for functional pockets in womenswear, while The New Yorker explored how pockets subtly influence autonomy and freedom of movement.
‘Pocketwear’: Rethinking everyday carry
Rather than waiting for clothing to change, Secrid takes a different approach: the brand designs smart, compact objects that fit effortlessly into the pockets people already use. Founded in 2009 in the Netherlands, Secrid quickly built a reputation for wallets and card protectors engineered specifically for pocket use. Its signature aluminium Cardprotector lets users slide out cards with a single movement, while keeping them safe from bending or RFID skimming.
At the heart of this approach is what Secrid calls “pocketwear.” The idea is simple: everyday essentials should move with you seamlessly, securely, and without added bulk. Pocketwear transforms ordinary objects into reliable companions, always within reach and discreetly tucked away, supporting hands-free mobility and the rhythm of daily life. Many of the label’s wallets are produced in the Netherlands in partnership with local workshops and sheltered facilities, combining durable design with responsible production.
Returning to the challenge highlighted at the start, the persistent pocket gap that still limits women’s mobility, Secrid demonstrates how small, well-designed objects can transform daily life. Its philosophy of pocketwear turns pockets into practical, hands-free companions, making essentials secure, discreet, and always within reach.
This International Women’s Day, Secrid invites women to reclaim their pockets and experience firsthand how compact wallets and pocket-ready accessories can make everyday independence effortless, because the right objects, in the right place, truly change how you move through the world.