HOW IT STARTED
I’m Martin (Sebastian) Onyegbule, founder of SHIELD and the owner of the first Black-owned relationship wellness brand that supplies condoms in the UK.
Growing up in a Nigerian (Igbo) household, conversations around protection were awkward, avoided or wrapped in stigma.
I saw first hand the cost of silence, losing family members to STDs that could have been prevented and watching people navigate relationships without real guidance.
As I got older, I realised this wasn’t happening in just my home, culturally diverse communities across the UK were having the same experience.
Now, as a father to a son and daughter, I want the next generation to grow up with confidence and open conversation.
An open conversation about safety and ownership so that we all have a real understanding of relationship wellness.
SHIELD was created to close that gap merging culture and modern protection. A brand designed to make you feel proud to carry it, not embarrassed to hide it.
HOW ITS GOING...
JANUARY 2025
I started SHIELD because protection wasn’t what it should be.
Too often the marketing and conversations around it felt awkward and clinical.
I believed it could be confident and conversational.
We still don't talk about relationship wellness or protection enough. Stigma and shame still surround it.
The result... Rising STI rates, unplanned pregnancies and too many relationships where protection felt like something to hide and not something to be proud of.
JUNE 2025
So I reframed what relationship wellness and protection can look like.
I have designed the first product line SHIELD's that blend premium materials with a minimalist design.
No shame. No awkwardness.
Just safety, for every kind of relationship.
Relationship wellness & protection marketing these days is outdated.
Clinical & corny...
We all wanted better, they weren't giving us better, so I created better.
DECEMBER 2025
I launched SHIELD because the conversations surrounding and including relationship wellness & protection wasn’t what it should be.
We are only just starting and are extremely excited to know that you are embarking on this journey with us!
We are redefining the future of relationship wellness.
We’re building not just a product but a movement, where protection
equals empowerment and wellness equals confidence.
