Comfort, Style, and the Death of the Underwire
tl;dr:
Today, the main reason most women wear bras is for nipple coverage. Most women’s top priority in a bra is comfort.
At Petal + Ash, is ditching underwire for our launch collection, and focusing on soft cup bras that actually feel good to wear.
Our bras are thoughtfully constructed with natural and bio-based materials, darted cups, and adjustable details for comfort and support.
Comfort isn't a luxury—it’s the standard we deserve. And it starts with a bra that is designed for women by women.
When was the last time you wore a bra that was both beautiful and truly comfortable?
As women, we love to hate our bras. While the iconic “bra-burning feminists” of the 1960s was more myth than reality (no actual bras were burned), the sentiment is rooted in truth. Men designed contraptions—for women—that were less than comfortable. Eventually, along with all the ways of the patriarchy, women said ENOUGH.
Today, the main reason most women wear bras is for nipple coverage. The main thing they want out of their bras is comfort. Though just as all trends come and go, Kim Kardashian recently came launched a “Nipple Push Up Bra” complete with built-in nipples featured atop (you guessed it) a push up bra. Male gaze much? Look, no shade here. If that’s your vibe, go for it. I’m all about wearing what makes you feel best in your body. But my point here is that on one side, we have what women say they want (coverage with comfort)—and on the other side, we have market offerings centered around what men want to see on women. If one really wants to show off the nips, then why not hark back to the fierce feminists of the 60’s? (Figuratively) burn that bra, and free the (actual) nips!
Come summertime, I’m one of the first to say goodbye to my bra. I love minimal layers on my body, and I also love a dramatic backless top or dress for the right occasion. But there are also plenty of summer days that I want a bra. Maybe I want to feel supported, maybe I want the nipple coverage, or maybe I just want to feel cute in one of my favorite bra/panty sets. No matter the reason, what I always want is comfort!
And you do too.
In market research we conducted last year, comfort was the number one priority for the bra-wearers who participated in our survey. Trend reports and magazine listicles all confirm that comfort is a priority.
Another finding from our survey was that nearly 65% (of participants) weren’t satisfied with market current offerings—despite an oversaturated market.
Bye Bye Underwire.
If comfort was number one for most women, and underwire annoyances was high on the list for reasons of discomfort, it made sense to go underwire-free for the Petal + Ash launch collection.
Early in this journey, someone gave me advice that stuck: You can’t be all things to all people. As a solopreneur entering an oversaturated market, I knew I had to focus on doing a few things exceptionally well.
So I doubled down on the decision to ditch the underwire. For now anyway. (With brand growth, I’ve got tons of ideas for how to expand our product offerings, and I so fully hope we can grow to get there!).
Bras are highly engineered garments. Knowing we were going for a soft cup and working with non-traditional materials, design became about examining how we could bring structure to this garment.
A look behind the seams, at some of the design choices we’ve made:
Traditional cut and sew approach, which then allows for…
Darted cups
Center gore
Adjustable straps
Adjustable back (hook & eye)
And…
we get comfort through the thoughtful construction along with the luxe seacell fabric (intro’d last week) and the mechanical stretch within the fabric, along with the soft, natural elastic in the bra’s band and sides…
And…
we get style through clean lines and subtle hardware details that also double to support increased comfort through adjustability.
Fun fact: A bra’s band should provide about 90% of the support. The straps should only work to help for that last 10%. That’s why choosing the bra for your body is so crucial for comfort.
What’s your biggest pet peeve with bras—underwire poking, straps digging, or something else entirely? Do you have a current favorite brand that gets it right?
