We get asked this question every week, and it upsets me that people think we are size-ist, and that sustainable brands in general are not size-inclusive, but I totally understand how it must look from the customer side. Time for a blog to explain how it works from our side, the two major reasons we can't make larger bras, and why smaller, sustainable brands often don't!
Firstly, the main reason we can't make larger bras is simple engineering! We are limited by the plastic-free, natural materials available to us. We do make bras for larger busts than many, and I've always been very clear from the outset, that as a bra brand specialising in no underwires, we would not go the way of the bralette and size in S/M/L. What woman on earth is S/M/L?! Well there must be a few of them, but as a small band, large cup, this has always frustrated me immensely. We have mirrored the conventional bra sizes, and we launched with 27 proper bra sizes. We started with bands of 8/30 to 16/38, and cup sizes from A to DD. In 2020, we added an E cup! With the launch of Latte in April 2023 and it's F and G cups, our range now covers 34 sizes.
And yet, we know many of you ache for larger bands and larger cups. Here's why we can't do that right now. In conventional brands, the bigger the bra, the higher the percentage of spandex to ensure no sagging, and fabric recovery from the stretch, for as long a life as possible. Spandex is plastic and we can't use it. Without spandex, our bras will just stretch and stretch with the extra weight, and a bra, conventional or compostable, has one primary function - to hold breasts up in the most effective way possible! There are plant-based spandex alternatives in development, but until they are commercially available, we have to stick to the size range we know works. We hope you understand.
The second reason increasing size range (when that plant-based stretch becomes available) is a challenge, and why most small, privately owned sustainable brands stick to a narrower range, is simple economics. We have minimum quantities per size with our factory of 16. Every time we add a new band size in up to 8 cup sizes it's an extra 128 bras, and we will need more than 16 in the more popular cup sizes. It just get sooooo expensive! Most of the big global brands don't make everything in all sizes, they have specialist ranges for different niches, and maybe one day we will get there too, but we need a spandex alternative and deeper pockets!
Please understand that for smaller, privately owned and funded brands, covering all bases is not an option. Hopefully as the sector grows, it will offer greater choices to people of every size and shape 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
