Why Don’t Designers Make Bigger Bras?
Fantasie's Amber bra
Bigger bras are hard to find. There are a handful of brands that really “get” larger-chested ladies, and the ones who do generally do it very well (shout out to Freya, Fantasie, and Cacique, just to name a few). But in general, women higher than a 38 band or above a DD cup can’t count on just walking into a store and finding a bra that fits. We have to special order, we have to blindly buy online, or we have to somehow find the holy grail: a tiny lingerie shop with a large size range. (I’m in the US, but I hear you UK ladies have an easier time finding big bras. I’m jealous!)
But why? As a country, US women are beginning to need bigger and bigger bras, a trend that is reflected through much of the world. (Some people blame breast augmentation, some people blame a rise in obesity, and some simply think more women are getting properly sized in the first place these days.) So you’d think that manufacturers would jump on this growing market and make larger bra sizes. But in general, they just don’t.
According to a recent article from New York Magazine, larger bras are more challenging to design and manufacture. That makes sense – bras are pretty incredible feats of engineering, and their task only gets harder as their load gets heavier. Not only that, but women don’t want bras to look utilitarian, we want them to seem like delicate wisps of gossamer and lace. But Jessica Pfister, design director for Le Mystere (a brand that goes to 44H and that makes 80% of sales from larger sizes), says that the idea of not developing these bras because it’s difficult is “totally crazy” and ”a lot of bra manufacturers make 32 to 38 — that leaves out two-thirds of the population.” Pfister’s three-person team spent nearly two years developing a bra to hold their maximum 44H chest. She says,
Cacique's pleated bandeau bra
“At 44H, the weight of each breast is about twelve pounds. It’s fourteen-and-a-half inches across on each cup. That’s a size 14 shoe, just kind of curved. So you need a garment that’s going to support you like nothing else. There are hundreds of components in a bra and each one needs to be perfect. If you’re an eighth of an inch off, you’re not going to get the right support.”
But that investment of time and money is one that many brands just do not want to make. Linda LoRe, president of Frederick’s of Hollywood (where 70% of styles come in plus-size options) says, ”If you don’t already have that customer coming to you, it could be a big risk to invest in that inventory unless you know it’s going to pay off.” Susan DeMusis, executive vice president of merchandising for Carole Hochman Design Group (intimates licensee for Betsey Johnson, a brand that goes to 36DD) says, “If our retailers said, ‘We think there’s a big opportunity to make a 38 band size,’ we would make it happen.”
Jezebel notes:
“But how much of a ‘risk’ is it to make and advertise a product you know many women are clamoring for, unless you know your company is only capable of making cheap, flimsy bras that would never support larger breasts? Is designing a bra that can do some heavy lifting really so complex that it’s more profitable to add a bow and some lace to last season’s 34Bs and shun millions of potential customers?”
It sounds to me like women in hard-to-find sizes need to be vocal! We need to make sure that manufacturers and retailers know the sizes we want, and how badly we want them. (I have emailed quite a few companies asking if they plan to expand their size ranges, with varying responses.) Then more companies will be like Le Mystere, which has developed a strapless 40G bra set to be available in stores in July.
May 11, 2010 by Kelly
Filed under Betsey Johnson Intimates, Frederick's of Hollywood, Jezebel, Larger Cup Sizes, Le Mystère
I have friends that had breast reduction surgery not because they could not find pretty and supportive bras but because they had bad back and neck pain and aesthetically they were not well balanced. They are happier now wearing between 34-36 bands and B-D cups, finding all kinds of bras they like and not having back pain anymore. So, in this case, this may be something to consider which is more medical and wellness concern related than purely cosmetics.
Great post !! Would love to talk to you more about your ideas and the issues presented. Email me any time.
There are too many big, ugly and impractical bras in the world. I would love to be able to walk into a department store or lingerie shop and buy bras appropriate for a wide variety of clothes. I could use a strapless bra and a convertible one. I am either told to place a special order (often online) or that such bras do not exist in my size at that particular store (go figure). Any woman above a 38DD in US sizes has to deal with such limited options. If some bra brands can offer larger sizes, why can’t others?
So what’s their excuse for not doing 30 back sizes? My little 30C golfballs aren’t anymore difficult to support than your sample 32B so why don’t they make those? Plenty of women i know would ideally wear a 30 back size.
But thankyou for this post, do you have any reference material for statistics for demand for larger sizes? I’m currently doing market research for a lingerie brand and would be very interested to look into this market, as my sister is a 34FF and also finds it hard and hell, if i can’t design bras for my own sister then i’ve failed!
Debra – While I absolutely think that there are many cases where women are much happier after a reduction (sounds like your friend was one!), I did read an article a while ago about how one particular hospital’s plastic surgeon required women to get a proper bra fitting and wear the proper size bra for a month (or something like that) before the surgeon would OK a reduction. And the number of women who still wanted a reduction after that time really cut down.
dcsurfergirl – I shop almost exclusively online because my size doesn’t come in stores either. It’s definitely frustrating to blindly order like that. Just because it looks great on the model doesn’t mean it looks (or feels, or fits) great on us! I can understand why the less expensive brands can’t afford to construct larger bras, and I (unhappily) accept that many of the designer brands don’t want to make larger bras. But there is a huge middle area of bras around the $60-$100 range who shouldn’t have either of those problems. They’re the brands I’m most frustrated with!
Sundal – I have a 30 band too – it’s a nightmare! And honestly I’m not exactly a twig. I guess my rib cage is unusually small but there are TONS of women much smaller than me and I have no idea what they wear. Even online vendors rarely go lower than 28! Unfortunately I don’t have any solid stats on the demand for larger sizes. Maybe if you contacted some of the brands in the article they would have numbers for you? (P.S. Have your sister try Figleaves, BareNecessities, and HerRoom – they have a great size selection and I have no problem finding FF cups on those sites)
hi, actually as that big breasts still not be considered as that attractive so not widely present, so designers will still counting on certain sizes
Excuse the obvious, but within 3 days of this blog post, this site is also posting ready to wear lines for big women…
“Parfait by Affinitas
May 14, 2010 by Krista
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Affinitas is making dreams come true for the full busted ladies!”
So, I’m sorry not to believe this post that there is NOTHING for for big boobs, or that it’s so hard to find. The entire USA as a whole is getting fatter & therefore sizes in stores are going larger, larger & larger. If you live anywhere near a city, you can see a difference in sizes the last few years. A lot different- now stores carry 1 of any 32A-B, and that’s it. (Bloomies is a great example of that).
Heck the entire porn-clothes industry is at the feet of big boob women, lavishing your mammaries at every step. If you can’t use the internet for find a big boob bra, then you really aren’t trying. This is a global economy- a sad economy right now, but still very global. And yes, there are plenty of internet stores that have great return policies.
Interesting that this board is up in arms about an issue that is fixed 3 days later. Just my 2 cents.
Addendum- Kelly, you offered up some of the site/store recommendations I was about to…all good choices
Bare necessities currently has DD+ Bras (284 styles)
Figleaves currently has DD+ bras (over 400 styles)
Each of these sites has a 1-click link for DD+ on the home page, but no similar link exists for petites.
Anna – I can’t speak for the other TLP writers but I know that I like to focus specifically on brands that make larger bras. Part of it is because those are the brands I can wear so those are the ones I’m most interested in writing about anyway. I never meant this article to mean that there was *nothing* out there in larger sizes, which is why I mentioned a few great brands in this post and why we feature them on TLP often. But it’s near impossible to find a bra in my size outside of the internet. I live about 5 minutes from a big city but I might as well not exist as far as brick-and-mortar shops are concerned. And I’ve heard the same thing from other women often enough to know I’m not alone. (Also, I fail to see what porn has to do with our dilemma?)
By the way, if you are looking for petite bras, the retailers you mentioned above have a great selection of them. You can search by your size on those sites. You might also want to try Lula Lu Petites or The Little Bra Company.
Thank you Kelly, for the follow up.
Yes I do know of the Lula Lu, Little bra company and a handful of other small size (pun intended) web start ups. Most are in the UK and can be very expensive after import costs.
Of the ones you mentioned,
Lula Lu has a grand total of 47 bras in their store
Thank you Kelly for your feedback.
Yes I do know of the petites stores you now mention. There selection is soooo massive, lol (47! bras to choose from a Lula Lu and a whopping 18! total at Little Bra Co.). Of course their stock changes about only once per year at best… very sad. Hardly a comparision to the over 600 DD+ selection of the 2 main online stores. My point being with 1 click these 2 sites land over 600 choices in your lap… without even having to plug in a specific size.
The internet is the place to shop for everything… just pop it back in the mail if it doesn’t fit as you wish. Sexy big chested clothes are all over the net (ok porn sites bad example, as there are no clothes at all).
Designers dont waste time on small chested women… not enough fabric to make them $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Besides, have you ever seen a runway model that ever needed a bra! Not likely.
And a note to Wadihvladimir… do you not see everyday the power of your big chest in American society? Every man at your feet, vs a small chested woman who can’t get a man to even look at her once? Harness that power, honey, you aren’t seeing the POSITIVE, that all of Hollywood goes under the knife for to create.
As far as designers, they go where the $$$$ is. They are business people 100%. So only a matter of time to see stuff in every store on every corner for you. Big chested is THE majority of the USA (only 3% of all women in the US are underweight, which is naturally small chested… vs implant USA). As far as attractive… mens media is 100% big chested women. Women’s media, aka “fashion” magazines, are not real at all, for ANYone. Womens magazine will never be on par with the real world, UNTIL women STOP BUYING THE MAGs. Make it a personal decision to boycott the fake/photshopped/slimmed down magazine covers and the unrealistic photos on every page.
~Off my soapbox against the stupid media images.
sorry, for the double post. My computer crashed & I had to start over =(
The grass is still always greener, even in 2010 amongst smart, intelligent women.
Ana – I don’t want to start a fight in the TLP comments or anything, but I absolutely disagree about how men react to large vs small chests. It’s no secret that many men prefer larger chests but I also don’t think it’s a secret that many men prefer smaller chests. Just like some women like body builders and some like the lanky types, or some men like bubble butts but others like women with small tight ones, you know? I can guarantee you that the size of my chest does not mean I have every man at my feet. And my smaller-chested friends get PLENTY of male attention.
if your in nyc go to bra tenders..they operate by appt only but the have everything for girls with big boobs…ask for marla
I feel like doing the same thing as you right now Kelly, writing an article to give out about this. I’ve been a 32gg since I ws 15, I’m just turning 18 and it’s horrible that I’ve had to go around feeling like a 60 year old in some of the monstrosities I’ve had to wear. I’m goin on holiday next week and the one thing that’s worse than trying to find a nice bra in my size is trying to find a cute bikini!
I envy all those girls who can just walk into a cheap store and pick up a really lovely string bikini and look hot strutting around on the beach. I feel quite bitter that if i ever do find something nice in my size that i also have to pay between 30-60 euro to own it. I feel like, haven’t I worked hard enough finding it, now this??
I would really love to make this change.
Nightmare!
I myself have just turned 18 and I’m at a soul crushing 36H…
I know there are plenty of places that go above a DD, but it’s EXTREAMLY hard to find one that goes past a G. When I was 15 I was at a G and i could barely find a bra. I refuse to buy online because I won’t pay for something without trying in on, and to be honest I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to try it on like any other woman.
The day before my 18th I went to the closest Bravissimo to where I live (Bristol, england), that was Cardiff, Wales – Only to find that they NO bras in store that went up to my size, hey stopped at GG… After getting all exited, thinking I could finally be a teenage girl for the first time, seeing the pretty bras that actually go up to my size… I sat on a bench outside and burst into tears…
If anything they should make more big size bras because the bigger you are the less choice of even wearing one you have! unless you want to look like an 80 year old!!
They don’t seem to understand how important a good bra is – I can look in the mirror with a good bra on and feel amazing, and then take it off and am so upset and disgusted by the way they look that I’ll spend the rest of the day curled up in bed crying.
Like I said, I’ve just turned 18 (july), and I’m a 36H and STILL GROWING! And I havn’t even been pregnant yet! I’m, already starting to pop out of my new bras that I only got at the beginning of july.
SuperSimoholic – Your comment broke my heart because the first time I had a correct bra fitting, I cried as well. And the shop I went to *had* my size! It was years ago but I still cringe when I think about it.
If it helps, it looks like Figleaves.com/Figleaves.co.uk has quite a few bras in your size, and many of them are super pretty! You can search by size on the site, so you *only* see the bras that will fit you.