Tag Archives: bra design

Designing for Comfort: Innovations in Bra Design

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Bra designers all want a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to selling bras to us gals. Luckily, this translates to improvements to bra design in an attempt to get more of us interested in what a given designer has to offer! These improvements to design have led to overall innovations and updates to the bra industry in the past 100 years – most of which lead to more comfortable, more supportive bras. Things like improvements to underwires, bra strap innovations and improvements to the overall bra construction process have made our bras a lot more comfortable to wear! These are just a few of the things we have to be thankful for today in more comfortable and sexier bras!

Improvements to Underwires
Underwires are one of the biggest points of contention among bra wearers. Metal underwires can break, and they can also poke through the fabric of the bra and cause pain. Bra designers have focused on innovating underwires to give us a more comfortable, supportive bra! Designers who still use underwire often coat them in gel or plastic for extra comfort. More and more designers are focusing on the areas where underwires can poke through bras to give us more comfortable underwires.

Hidden underwires in molded-cup bras offer great comfort and support without showing through clothes!

Additionally, many bra designers are now using molded plastic in their underwires because of its pliability. One British firm identified the “ouch zone” under the arm where underwires typically dig into bra wearers, and designed plastic wings to help relieve pressure in this area. Their bra didn’t really catch on, but the concept of using plastic instead of metal stuck. Plastic underwires are flexible, encased in foam and stay in place – hidden within molded fabric in a way designed to reduce the risk of the wire popping out. These are referred to as “hidden underwires.” This type of underwire also creates a sleeker silhouette under clothes. Other bra designers feature soft underwires wrapped in multiple layers of fabric for increased comfort. These innovations have led to advances in underwires in general, and more comfortable bras for us!

Bra Strap Innovations

Wide, comfort-padded straps reduce slippage and improve comfort

Bra straps are another frequent source of discomfort, and innovation in this area has led to a variety of bra strap comfort measures. Some bras now feature silicone-lined straps designed to grip the wearer’s skin and prevent slippage. And some designers are now using gel straps infused with silicone gel to disperse pressure more evenly, relieving shoulder strain and preventing straps from digging in. Wider, padded straps are becoming commonplace for women who have big busts and need the extra comfort. In short: straps are becoming more comfortable, and this is good for us!

Improvements to the Bra Construction Process = Comfort!
There have also been some overall innovations to bra construction that make them more comfortable to wear. In the early days, bras were made in pieces and sewn together, which created uncomfortable seams that rubbed and could sometimes be seen through clothing. Now, many bras are made of molded cups made in one piece so they’re smooth and seamless, and retain their shape. New bra construction techniques also include laser cutting, which prevents fabrics from fraying and eliminates the need for extra stitching. This allows the bra to lie completely flush with the body and eliminate visible lines. Finally, many manufacturers have stopped using tags to prevent discomfort that can be caused by tags in bras. These manufacturers instead stamp size and care info into the bra’s band, eliminating tags and tag-related discomfort!

As designers continue to try to capture our attention, girls, more and more comfort and design innovations are going to make their way into our bras. This can only mean good things for us, so keep your eyes peeled for cutting-edge designers and innovative bra manufacturers!

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The Origins of Your Bra: The Mechanics of Bra Design

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Conturelle does a lot of work on bra development - and it shows!

Bra design is constantly evolving as designers strive to keep up with our needs. But seriously – most of us women who wear bras aren’t engineers, so we only have a vague idea of what’s involved in the design and construction process. It’s actually pretty cool, though – understanding the design process offers insights into the cost of bras, why some bras fit better than others and hold up better than others, and what differentiates one brand from another.

The Concept and Prototype
Every new bra design starts with a concept; typically in an attempt to solve some sort of problem. With the clothes we women are wearing these days, one of the biggest areas where design has been evolving is in the creation of plunge bras – particularly convertible plunge bras. So let’s look at the design process for a new plunge bra.

When a designer conceives a concept, he sketches a technical design, and a pattern is created from that design. From the pattern, a prototype is crafted. Many of the higher-end designers craft these “working models” by hand, although some companies that use machines for their manufacture process machine a new prototype.

A new design usually goes through a lot of iterations. A pair of cups may be formed by “hot pressing” foam into the proper shape. Straps and band are then sewn on; maybe by hand or by machine, depending on the shop. The designer looks at the prototype and then tweaks the details, with the idea of making sure that every part is both fashionable and functional.

The Working Model
When the designer has a working model he’s happy with, a live “fit model” is brought in. The fit model wears the prototype, and offers feedback to the designer. Fit models talk about where the bra is comfortable, where the fit feels off, what they think of it – all the things we think about when we wear bras. The designer then tweaks the bra, develops a new prototype, and then brings the fit model back for another round of review.

Some higher-end designers, such as Conturelle, use many different fit models with different body types to see how the fit is from woman to woman, and make sure they end up with the most comfortable product. Some designers have women wear the working models for hours, or days, doing a variety of activities, to make more in-depth comments about fit. But all of this costs money, which goes into the development of the bra; so generally, the bras at lower price points can’t afford to do as much extensive testing. You can typically assume that bras at higher price points have more time spent on development.

Is the Bra Sellable?
Once the bra designer is happy with the design, has plenty of feedback from the fit model(s) and is ready to move forward, the bra goes into a phase where the designers, manufacturers and marketers collaborate to ensure they have a sellable product. Ideally, designers want their bras to appeal to as many women as possible, although more and more designers are now offering niche bras where they see a need. But plenty of great bras never make it into production because the parties involved can’t agree that it’s sellable, and put together a great marketing plan.

If all the parties involved can agree that it’s sellable, production begins – and then your bra starts the process of getting to your local retailer!

Bet you’ll look at your bra differently the next time you put it on, now that you know some of the effort that goes into design! In our next post, we’ll look at the next part of the process: production, distribution and how your bra makes it to your retailer!

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