How This Brand Uses AI to Create Sustainable Made-to-Measure Bras That Fit Like a Glove
By Jharna Pariani
This article was made in partnership with &HER: a sustainable lingerie brand taking the struggle away from finding a well-fitted bra, while making undergarments that are easier on the planet.
When it comes to clothing — and intimates — size charts can be pretty inconsistent across brands. One lingerie brand may tell you you’re a 32C, while the other may deem you something else entirely. And if you’re shopping online, the very idea of measuring your cup and band width at home to arrive at the correct bra size can seem as tedious as solving a math problem, taking the fun out of the shopping experience altogether.
Unfortunately, these sizing principles have existed since the inception of the bra in 1914 and help accurately communicate bra sizes between key stakeholders including customers, retailers, manufacturers, and designers.
Due to a lack of standardization and varying interpretations of measurements and guidelines though, the ability to accurately present consistent bra sizes is often compromised. A key reason why the majority (up to 75-100%) of bra-wearers are wearing the wrong size worldwide. This is an issue that's been associated with musculoskeletal pain, unfavorable spinal mechanics and postures, and inhibiting women from participating in physical activity.
Trying AI-powered bras on for size
At a time when we’ve gotten used to algorithms recommending our next purchases like our personal shoppers, the very idea of holding onto a cookie-cutter bra sizing chart can seem pretty impersonal and archaic. Especially since our bodies and curves can be so unique and change through various stages of our lives.
A study on bra components that contribute to incorrect fitting found that it usually came from the cups, front band, and straps of the bra. They concluded that incorporating three-dimensional breast shape and torso dimension data into bra component design can significantly help improve bra fit and breast support for women across the size spectrum.
And that’s precisely what the bra makers at &HER have set out to do. By harnessing the power of AI, &HER is taking the process of bra fitting and giving it a modernized and personalized solution — resulting in perfectly fitted custom bras that are completely unique to each customer and their shape.
They offer a range of colorful everyday bralettes and comfortable yoga bras that’ll make you feel supported and secure, so you can go about your day without feeling any discomfort. Their unique fitting approach involves training AI machine vision to discern and understand the nuances of shape, curvature, and measurements.
How do they do this? Customers are offered four paths to find their perfect fit:
One involves answering five specific questions to guide customers toward a size closest to an established fit.
The second involves a video stream AI fit method available exclusively at their studio in Brooklyn, NY.
The third involves uploading pictures and measurements that’ll assist them in creating a bra body mapped to your curves.
And the final one allows one to book a virtual appointment with the brand’s fit engineers.
The latter two options require customers to share images wearing an existing unpadded bra or bralette to give them the best measurement outcomes. But fret not, your privacy is valued here. &HER will never sell or share your data with anyone else, the collected data is anonymized and taken for machine training purposes only. (The brand is also actively working on fine-tuning its fitting process wherein instead of picture uploads, it’ll create a shape mask for privacy.)
By having customers upload pictures in their bras, &HER can calculate body measurements with a margin of error within even a centimeter! The hyper-personalized mapping considers not only torso and breast size but also factors like shoulder slope, torso length, tightness preference, and axillary (or armpit) shaping.
This meticulous body mapping process empowers &HER to create garment blueprints tailored precisely to individual bodies, ensuring optimal support and comfort that’s completely inclusive of all shapes and sizes.
Don’t just take our word for it, customers of a diverse array of ages, sizes, and ethnicities have raved as to how the “women at &HER didn’t stop until my bra fit perfectly,” claimed 68-year-old Irene, who wears plus sizes. If it’s not a perfect fit, &HER will alter or remake your order for free — guaranteed.
A low-waste 3D bra-volution
The technological marvels of how &HER bras are created don’t just stop at AI body mapping.
Once the measurements are digitally collected, the made-to-order bras are crafted on a 3D knitting machine using a varying blend of sustainable yarns that include organic cotton, hemp, Supima cotton (an extra long staple fiber) that's grown in the southwest of the U.S., TENCEL™, cashmere, and ROICA™, a sustainable alternative to synthetic elastane. ROICA™ is also certified by Cradle to Cradle.
Think of &HER as the Jarvis to your Iron Man, except they’ll build you an everyday bra instead of a suit of armor!
Each bra is created on a made-to-order basis, resulting in 3D bras that are engineered with built-in structures to support, compress, ventilate, and hug each curve uniquely. 3D knitting also enables them to create better coverage by elongating or shortening based on body height, shoulder width, and torso proportion.
In order to be fully inclusive, conventional brands would have to create bras in numerous sizes and their subsequent cup sizes per style. That would result in excess inventory that generates substantial waste in both production and stock management.
&HER's on-demand 3D knitting production system allows them to create low-waste bras and operate without holding inventory.
What makes the brand's made-to-measure bras even more special is the fact that they are degradable, compostable, and circular. While most conventionally available bras use several components that consist of metal and plastic parts, &HER’s 3D manufacturing technique allows them to create bras that provide soft support without the need to rely on underwires or synthetic cups.
&HER isn’t just size-inclusive but also recognizes the many challenges that breast cancer survivors face when trying to find a well-fitted bra. Erika Lojko, a breast cancer survivor who underwent multiple revision surgeries and faced several complications said, “Finding &HER was such a relief. I wanted to shop for a bra that fits without judgment from others.”
&HER’s 3D knitted collection of everyday bralettes and yoga bras are available in vibrant shades and made using sustainable materials ranging from $79-$175.
About the Author:
Jharna Pariani is a fashion writer and creative strategist whose work is rooted in honesty and deep observation of the world around her. When she isn’t busy penning down her thoughts, she moonlights as a video editor creating fashion and food reels on Instagram for several brands and influencers.
