When I am designing I really think about every component and detail as these ultimately inform the fit and quality of the garment, especially in a bra. It is these intricate design details that make our soft-cups comfortable, yet supportive, and accommodate a good fit for a range of bodies. In this post I give you a peek inside the construction of our bras, and some of the key considerations I have made in the design.
In all our bras the internal structure is very similar to what you would find inside a wired bra, without the wire of course!
For a bra to fit well and feel balanced and comfortable on the body you need to use the correct modulus (strength) of elastic at the underband, underarm and neckline. All elastics are not created equal and they are a component I am incredibly fussy about. I use one of the best suppliers and whilst it would be easier to use one elastic throughout the garment this would compromise the fit.
The underband is the most important, it needs to be the widest and the strongest elastic to anchor the garment, I use a 10mm wide elastic on sizes XS-M and a 12mm on L-XL. Secondary importance is the underarm, this needs to be supportive but not too strong and snappy, you don't want it to feel like the underarm is cutting in, I use an 8mm on sizes XS-M and 10mm on L-XL, this elastic is slightly softer and stretchier than the underband elastic. The neckline needs a small amount of support to hold the fit and the shape of the garment but wants to be soft enough to allow the shape of the bust to inform the fit, I use a 6mm on sizes XS-M and 8mm on L-XL.
Lastly, a good quality strap elastic and hardware (sliders) is critical to achieve a good fit, I would never buy a bra that didn't have adjustable straps. I grade the straps up by 2mm from M-L, this includes the strap elastic, rings and sliders.
Grading an elastic by 2mm may sound like a small amount but in the world of elastics it makes a huge difference and gives the right amount of support to each size. In total across our bra size range this adds up to 8 different elastics and 4 different hardware components. For a brand that manufactures on a smaller responsible scale this does add extra surcharges to our product but it is not a detail I would compromise on.
So, now that we know we have good quality and correct modulus elastics framing our bras what else is happening on the inside?
