Finding a bra that is supportive, comfortable and halfway decent to look can be a tedious challenge – no matter what size you wear – but a new Kickstarter project is promising to change all that.
Canadian company House of Anesi is introducing an innovative bra that adapts to your changing breast size and claims to do away with back pain, get rid of red shoulder marks, underwire marks and underboob sweat.
The campaign has already raised £26,192 out of their £38,726 goal. Campaign founders Stephania Stefanakou, Jacob John and Leen Al-Taher felt women deserve better than the bras offered by most retailers and wanted to create a bra “free of social, cultural, and physical constraints that have historically been identified as part of womanhood,” according to their campaign page.
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Breast size changes are normal, it’s just one of those things people don’t talk about a lot.
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Stephania Stefanakou, Co-Founder & CEO of House Of Anesi told Refinery29 UK: “We decided to create the Anesi bra after realising many women, myself included, get frustrated when their breast size changes and the bras we bought no longer fit. Breast size change is normal, it’s just one of those things people don’t talk about a lot. Me and my co-founders believe women deserve better - so we took it upon ourselves to speed up innovation in the lingerie industry by creating an adaptable bra that strives to make women’s lives more comfortable.”
The bra boasts three features that make it adapt to your breast size and prevent discomfort: dual compression zone fabrics, a 3D Flexi wire and biocompatible gel straps. All that is high-tech speak for “ultimate comfort”. It conforms to your breasts and can shift up to two cup and band sizes, promising not to stretch if your breasts shrink. So whether your breasts grow or shrink, one is bigger than the other, you’re pregnant or you’re due your period, the bra will fit perfectly. It also has moisture-wicking and antimicrobial properties, keeping sweat stains (and smells) at bay, special gel straps that mould to your shoulders’ natural contour and distribute weight evenly, reducing back pain.
Aside from being the first of its kind, it’s also the most size-inclusive and is going to be available in over 90 sizes in both a full coverage and balconette style. It seems as though they’ve finally managing to fill that gap in the market and cater to all of our needs, and it’s especially refreshing to see a brand normalising the fact that women’s body shapes fluctuate.
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At a special launch price of £54 (plus international shipping costs) the bra isn’t exactly cheap, so we asked women in the UK what they thought and if they would be willing to pay the price for it. Here are their first impressions:
“It sounds like an amazing idea. I gave birth to my first child in April and as I’ve been breastfeeding her I definitely notice that my breasts change shape and size throughout the day, not to mention the fact they grew a lot bigger during my pregnancy and none of my pre-pregnancy bras even fit me now.” Lauren, 27
“My weight can really fluctuate month by month and I also tend to (weirdly) put on weight around my torso, so the changing band sizes is definitely interesting. Not 100% sure on the aesthetics, but I do prefer the balconette style.” Natalie, 26
“I used to work for a selection of lingerie companies as well as studying design in lingerie. I’m a big fan of using technology in aiding lingerie, and I love how they've got a range of women in different sizes wearing it. My main concern is that from the photos I can actually see that the bra isn’t an ideal fit as is. The technology is fantastic though and I think the gel straps are great idea, as well as the anti-bacterial properties considering a lot of women don’t wash their bras!” Emma, 28
The campaign has 21 more days of funding to go. You can make a pledge for the Anesi Bra on their Kickstarter.