The Very Good Bra

The bra was designed to provide a genuine alternative to conventional bras 99.9% of which are made of synthetics such as polyester and spandex. The bra needed to be made entirely of compostable or Cradle 2 Cradle certified components which would provide the same performance as conventional bras, without the harmful materials and dyes. The bra also had to be made in 27 sizes to exceed the size ranges typically offered by conventional, wired bras, so performance across this size range was essential.

For the original bra, we sourced tree rubber elastic from FSC plantations, which was knitted into organic cotton in Austria, having been adapted from an industrial product by a german innovator. As all hook & eye pieces are synthetic, we had to find a factory that could custom make hook & eye pieces from our materials - organic cotton and C2C gold certified sewing thread. We use OEKO TEX nickel and cadmium-free metal, and all our materials are GOTs dyed. We've developed ways to incorporate a rigid organic cotton liner to add support.

The average woman owns 9 bras.With conservatively 2 billion on the planet wearing them, that's 18 billion headed for landfill. 99.9% of bras are made from polyester and will last in landfill for 200 years giving off methane gas. This bra was eaten in NSW worm farm WormTech in 8 weeks last year, with just the straps needing to go into compost for final breakdown. To date, we've sold almost 3000 bras, saving the weight of 3 baby elephant's worth of toxic bras from landfill.

Traditionally, non-wired bras come in sizes Small, Medium, and Large, but The Very Good Bra was designed to be a genuine alternative to conventional products for as many women as possible, and we are still unique in designing and manufacturing bras in 27 sizes. We have had good reviews across all sizes from customers in our first two years. Last year we launched the same design of bra in an Australian processed organic cotton which has been similarly successful. This year we will launch a new style bra in an organic cotton knit developed with Liberty of London, allowing us to use their print. We have a nursing bra in development given that these bras are worn hard for a limited time and function, before becoming waste. Crucially, we have managed to keep the RRP under $100 to allow it to be accessible to the largest number of customers possible.