How A Weekend Visit Sparked A Design Revolution
OUR STORY
It started when my family had friends visiting for the weekend. Five kids, two families, we were all excited for the sleepover.
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A Rude Awakening
I love cozy group weekends. Everyone rolls out of bed all tousled and pajama'd, gathering in the kitchen for breakfast.
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But that Saturday morning, I realized something had changed. (Maybe after the second baby? Maybe after I passed 40?)
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I was aware of my chest in a way I hadn't been before. Self-consciously, I realized that staying in my pajamas, braless, would have been obvious and socially awkward.
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I had to put on a bra. And I was annoyed about that.
I felt like the one kid who had school when everyone else got a snow day. Strapping on an uncomfortable, constrictive bra meant saying goodbye to Saturday morning freedom and hello to squeezy weekday discomfort.
That's the day I started looking for comfortable, supportive bra alternatives.
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The Search Was On
I looked for years. Literally.
I scoured stores and the internet.
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I tried everything.
Bands and Hooks and Wires Oh My
My goal was to find a way to LOOK fully dressed while FEELING like I was in loungewear. I tried everything: built-in bras, shelf-bras, comfort bras, shapewear support camis. Nothing I found ticked all the boxes.
I wanted to feel comfortable and well-supported, and to look put together. But it was always a trade-off. The comfortable options offered little to no support (or bad support: uniboob, armpit boob, etc.) and often used foam padding that added unwanted bulk. Being tall made it even harder.
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The more supportive options were just as uncomfortable as regular bras, with their tight elastic underbands and squeezy shapewear fabric. They often used irritating hardware like hooks, wires, and rigid nylon straps.
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Designing the First Bra-Free Clothing
At this point, I had a fire in my belly that wasn't just reflux from my tight bra band. I knew there had to be a better way, so I set out to make it.
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I spent the next six years designing prototypes, consulting with technical experts, sourcing fabrics and searching for factories. All to solve the one big problem: how to shape and support a full bust effectively and gently—without the painful constriction of tight chest bands and straps.
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Learning That Women Need This
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Most women I talked to lit up when I told them what I was doing. It didn't matter if they were full-busted or small-busted, young or old. They all agreed that innovation was sorely needed when it came to bust support and comfort.
They—YOU—needed this as much as I did.
Finding Bra Freedom
It was complicated. There were many failures and obstacles along the way. I worried that it might be impossible. After all, why wouldn't the "experts" already have thought of this? It seemed so obviously necessary.
But after years of hard work and determination, and with the help of other entrepreneurial women along the way, I discovered something amazing.
It wasn't impossible. It was complicated and expensive and technical, but it was possible! The day I tried on the final design—the one that eliminated the tight chest band AND all the other discomforts—was a very, very good day.
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In the process of eliminating the tight chest band and all the other hardware, I realized, I eliminated the bra, too. Turns out, it was so effective that this new support system was awarded a patent and won two International Design Awards. And now, it's launching a bra-free clothing revolution.
The best part of this story is that women now have a truly new choice: easy, effortless clothing that effectively lifts and shapes busts that need support (midsize, plus, fuller bust and over 40). Women now have the option of built-in support that actually feels comfortable and actually looks great. These are styles to wear anywhere, for real life, from home to office and from gym to evening events. And you can feel Saturday-morning free, anywhere, any time.
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Designing clothes with compassion for our curves is my way of making our world a little bit better. These styles have been life-changing for me. I hope they will be for you, too.
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Sending you hugs of support!
Karen Poirier, Founder​
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I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an American city with a long history of hard work and innovation.
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I was raised to be independent and to solve problems. If I didn't know how to do something, I was expected to figure it out.
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That upbringing has always made me question the way things "have always been done" when I see room for improvement.
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And I see a lot of room for improvement when it comes to dressing a fuller bust.
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For me, it starts with questioning the tight chest band, and thinking entirely differently about where support comes from and how it should feel.
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Embrago is my answer.