Bravissimo: A Bra Fitting Phenomenon

By ELLEN LEWIS

The first time I was made aware of Bravissimo, the British based lingerie retailer devoted to large breasted women, was when a colleague of mine clued me in. An American, married to a Brit, she discovered the store while visiting family across the pond. Larger than a DD cup, she really wasn’t aware of how much larger she was. She had difficulty finding a comfortable, supportive bra in the USA. At that time, they were almost impossible to find. She often had to settle, often wearing the wrong style in the wrong size. Her wonderful fit experience at Bravissimo was her ‘ah ha’ moment. She actually wrote a book about it.

Recently, Bravissimo contacted me to ask if I wanted to have a fitting. I said no. After all, at this point in lingerie history, the choices here in the USA for large cup women have expanded exponentially. I have more bras that fit than I need. However, I was intrigued about this 25-UK store chain; why they came to be and how they function. It’s the same age-old entrepreneurial story. In 1995, the founder, Sarah Tremellen, was having problems finding a bra without searching endlessly through different locations. She opened Bravissimo culling together established companies such as Eveden, Panache, Gossard, Miss Mandalay and Shock Absorber, all British brands that, specialize in a choice of large cup shapes. It was not until 2009 that Bravissimo ventured into developing their proprietary brand and began adding it to their existing vendor structure.

They do not follow the stereotypical bra fitting process. There are no tape measures at Bravissimo. Fitters are highly skilled at using visual processes. They are trained in the science behind each style, how it is engineered and for what type of breast shape works. Every style is wear-tested in every size. Many consist of 108 sizes. Bravissimo carries bras up to L (US size Q) cup. Virtual fittings are a mainstay of their e-commerce business. The US website is experiencing 124% growth year over year. Clearly, Bravissimo can deliver this service effectively.

I am a big fan of individual bra fitting stores here in the USA as well as abroad. These entrepreneurs take immense pride in their fit expertise. Hands-on in every aspect of their business, they are to be commended. What fascinates me is not so much Bravissimo’s effective fitting, though it is stellar, but the fact that it can be sustained at such a high standard through a 25-store chain and two separate websites.

USA: https://www.bravissimo.com/us/

GB: https://www.bravissimo.com/