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The lingerie industry is worth $13 billion and grows at an average of 3.3% each year, yet one of its most important staples, the bra, is in dire need of an upgrade.
Most companies offer cup sizes ranging from AA to F — specialty stores offer larger sizes — but for years, the industry only used one fit model to scale the fit for every woman.
Frustrated with all the ill-fitting bras on the market, Heidi Zak wanted to find an alternative. In 2013, Zak and David Spector co-founded ThirdLove, a line of comfortable bras for women of all shapes and sizes. Instead of using one fit model to determine hundreds of sizes, ThirdLove used tens of thousands of women's measurements to find the perfect fit. Each size is tested on both employees and customers to ensure it fits as many women as possible.
If bra shopping feels like a modern-day "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" — one cup is too big, while the other is too small — ThirdLove's signature half-cup sizes will help you find that "just right" fit.
"All of this data revealed traditional bra sizing wasn't serving women whose breast sizes or shapes weren't 'standard,' whatever that means," Zak told Business Insider. "We’ve found that 40% of our bras sold in the A-E range are half-cup sizes."
ThirdLove spent two years dissecting and perfecting every part of the bra — and it paid off.
Each bra boasts soft memory foam padding, supportive — and surprisingly flexible — nylon-coated, nickel-free underwire, and a padded hook-and-eye placket that keeps the bra comfortable all day long.
Before trying ThirdLove, I was skeptical. "It's a bra," I thought to myself. "How comfortable can it be?"
But now, I'm completely sold. ThirdLove's 24/7 classic T-shirt bra is so comfortable and fits so well that I've accidentally fallen asleep with it on and didn't realize it until I was getting dressed the next day. ThirdLove has exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds, and I want to replace all my bras with ThirdLove's selection.
ThirdLove's bra sizes currently range from AA to G and all of the styles are available for less than $100. But even if ThirdLove doubled its prices overnight, I'd still recommend the company with as much gusto.
You can check out all of ThirdLove's bras here.
You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
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