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• Meet Bella Ngo co-founder of Brarista, promising you the scientifically accurate bra fitting, completely digital, fuss-free, no tape-measure required.
• While a few women have chosen to stop wearing bras altogether, many are opting to prioritise comfort and functionality in their bra choices.

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Bella Ngo co-founded Brarista while studying her master’s degree in Tech Entrepreneurship, as many other entrepreneurs, she was looking for opportunities to showcase her business and get support from experts and that’s why she and her team decided to participate in the MSDUK Innovation Challenge 2020, where her business won the Advanced Digital Technology category. Brarista uses AI to scientifically accurate fit bras and it is completely digital, fuss-free, no tape-measure required.

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“Bras have always been a barometer of social change” (Kate Finnigan, Financial Times 2020)

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From the symbolism attached to ‘bra burning’, to the new focus put on bra functionality during WW2 as women were entering the workforce in masse, the bra has always been an important reflection of the changing perceptions of women in society and covid19 might just be the catalyst for the Bra fitting Revolution. With the absence of the strict workplace dress code expectations, which have been shaped by historical and continued dominance of men in positions of power, trends in bra wearing are shifting.

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During the current pandemic, as zoom calls abruptly replaced office meetings, and life was put into a whole new perspective, women were free to make choices based fully on their own needs and desires. And things changed. While a few have chosen to stop wearing bras altogether, many are opting to prioritise comfort and functionality in their bra choices. It seems like soft-cup, wireless and sports bras are really becoming the popular choice, as women have stopped being so concerned with what society expects from them. Selfridges have reported a 40% increase in soft cup bra sales in the past year, as Thirdlove reports a 58% increase in wireless bra sales since the beginning of the first lockdown, and Lively sees triple digit growth in bralette sales. Underwire bras sales are down 37% from last year, and 80% of customers now list comfort as their main priority when shopping for underwear. That is not to say that comfort has become the only important dimension of lingerie, but confidence and attractiveness is no longer being based purely on the expectations of others, instead is moving more towards personalised conceptions of beauty. The tone of brand communication is changing too, putting the everyday woman and her own personal needs and desires back at the centre of their messaging.

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At Brarista Bella and her fellow co-founder Prashant Aparajeya highlighted that as much as they love the lingerie industry, they know a lot still needs to change. Simply put, the lingerie industry is not doing enough to be inclusive to all bra-wearers. It largely caters to cis-gender women within a very limited range. With such an archaic attitude, the mainstream industry ceases to fully acknowledge the demands of communities including the LGBTQIA+, plus size, cancer survivors and the disabled community.

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That’s why Brarista focuses on bra-wearers. This not only includes women but also men, non-binary and transgender people. We know that one size definitely doesn’t fit all and no matter what trends dictate, all shapes, curves and sizes will always be beautiful and worthy. We want to change for the better and won’t stop until every person gets the perfect bra they need and deserve.

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“Winning the Advanced Digital Technology category at the MSDUK Innovation Challenge 2020 has been such an honour because the quality of finalists really set the mark and inspire us to recognise what innovation really means! It was great to pitch alongside some great startups and in particular VUI Diagnostics, the overall winner.  Our team is genuinely excited to grow our relationship with MSDUK and network from this point onwards. I invite more entrepreneurs to participate in the Innovation Challenge 2021!” Bella Ngo, CEO and co-founder at Brarista.

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Notes from the Editor

Thank you to Carla Mcdonald Heffernan, Brarista’s blog contributor and Bella Ngo for participating in this article.  Visit: https://www.brarista.co/

Find out more about the Innovation Challenge 2021  https://www.msduk.org.uk/innovation-challenge/