How to Empower Girls ~ Royce Lingerie

September 18, 2019

By ELLEN LEWIS

I am hard pressed to admit that I only recently got on the Royce bandwagon. Royce is a family owned British brand who has specialized in the design and development of wire free bras since their inception in 1991. I knew this, but what I didn’t quite get was how much the company’s DNA resonated with me, personally and professionally.

As a teenager in the 1960’s, Phys Ed was mandated but always secondary on any school schedule. Serious pursuit in team sports was left to the boys. So it stood to reason that proper undergarments, worthy of intense exercise, were not on any one’s radar. I certainly had no clue. Even after Title IX was signed into law, women’s sports underwear remained a silent marketing subject. It is only as professional women’s sports have gained global recognition that sports and exercise wear has entered the Intimate Apparel fray. The overall growth of the sports bra business proves this point.

What impacts my appreciation of Royce’s approach to this category is their grasp of the importance of the correct foundations as a young girl develops. Research has revealed that over 50% of girls 11-17 avoid sport and exercise due to their breasts. Even as bralettes emerge as a statement of fashion freedom in lieu of come hither fantasy, the reality of control, support, modesty and feeling comfortably feminine during these early volatile years has not been a major market focus. To quote teacher and former British professional footballer, Eartha Pond, “We have all these lists. Your child must have this, this and this. We often talk about confidence and self-esteem. I see girls who would slide on concrete when they arrive at school and their confidence has gone by the time they reach year eight or nine. They are worried about people looking at them. Some say to me, ‘I need a sports bra, but my mum says we just can’t afford to buy one’. It’s not seen as a priority and yet this is a major barrier; 100 per cent.”

Royce’s efforts to stand behind this very real issue is manifest in their behind the scenes efforts to educate teens on the virtues of wearing a sports bra during any physical activity. Working with local football clubs for girls under 13 they are providing exclusive discounts for high-quality bras and encouraging them to follow the footsteps of their heroines by making a sports bra an essential part of their gym attire. Royce’s best-selling Impact Free Collection (up to K cups) has been enhanced with the Impact Free Petite Bra for just this purpose. It correlates with the brand’s teen bra expertise, but more about that another time.

Empowering women at a young age is not restricted to the Brits or the Sports Bra business. The conversation is percolating everywhere. But actions count. No wonder England’s World Cup Team recently acknowledged Sports bras as part of its official work wear.