MEET THE FOUNDER/CREATOR

In reflection, the truth is, all of my life and professional experiences as an entrepreneur, designer, technology and professional development manager have brought me here to create a business that is authentically me.

When I created Braazi, about 6 years ago, I was completely frustrated with the process of finding bras that fit. Having larger breasts and a narrow rib cage has always presented a challenge in finding bras that not only fit well but look great! And I wanted more than black, white and nude.

Because of my size, I was often relegated to shopping online or high-end department stores. I would order 5 bras, try them on, and inevitably return all 5 because none fit. It was the total exhaustion from this dynamic that left me with a drawer full of bras that didn't fit. I'd pick the 3 best and go through my day pulling, tugging and popping out.

Every week, on laundry day, the same bras would stare back at me from my lingerie drawer. Often times I couldn't even close the drawer properly there were so many failed attempts in it. Yet, I was only wearing the 3 best of the worst bras ever. So, if you were to ask me why a custom bra company, I'd say I simply grew tired of searching through all the cute bras only to find none in my size.

For some reason manufacturers had decided that women of a particular size only want black, nude and white - the basics! As you can see here – we are bursting with color and our size range is inclusive.

In fact, we made the decision - if it doesn't fit our plus girl, it won't be offered. "Is it available in my size?" is not a question we want our customers to ask. It's part of the frustration.

Our typical customers are lingerie enthusiasts, hard-to-fits and women who have undergone transition from breast cancer. My sister is a two-time survivor. She loves our bras, but having undergone a double mastectomy, she couldn't wear an underwire. So much of what we do today is with her in mind. Consequently, we partner with breast cancer foundations to provide women with beautiful options, not the typical utilitarian bras you often see on the market. During a time that can be so dark, I wanted Braazi (pronounced "bra-zee") to be a ray of sunshine for these women. So many young women are being diagnosed. We say, ladies, you don't have to look like what you're going through. Check out the video of our very first survivor recipient. The video was stopped before she saw the prosthesis pocket we made for her. Suffice it to say, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

So ladies, when designing -- have fun! Take risks with colors and fabrics – It’s your underwear! Feeling great – starts with that.