The Conversation

Women changing the shape of bra design


Listen Later

The bra industry is worth billions of dollars a year, yet designs haven't changed a lot since the modern bra came into common use in the early 20th century. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to a sports bra designer from Wales and a breast cancer survivor in the US about their innovative new designs.

After a diagnosis of breast cancer in her late 20’s, Dana Donofree took her own experience of struggling to find a bra that was comfortable and pretty to found her own company, AnaOno. With a background in fashion design and talking to many women in the breast cancer community she's (re)designing intimates for those that have undergone surgery.

Mari Thomas-Welland used to work as a sports bra performance tester, testing the performance of sports bras for some of the biggest brands under laboratory conditions. After realising that, despite her job, she still couldn't find her perfect sports bra she decided to design her own and founded her company, Maaree. They're now the official bra supplier to the Welsh rugby team.

Produced by Jane Thurlow

(Image: (L) Dana Donofree credit AnaOno LCC. (R) Mari Thomas-Welland credit Mari Thomas-Welland.)

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The ConversationBy BBC World Service

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

69 ratings


More shows like The Conversation

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,400 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,836 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,787 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

537 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,813 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,058 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,920 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,074 Listeners

Learning English Stories by BBC Radio

Learning English Stories

393 Listeners

Learning English Vocabulary by BBC Radio

Learning English Vocabulary

502 Listeners

Learning English Grammar by BBC Radio

Learning English Grammar

312 Listeners

Learning English from the News by BBC Radio

Learning English from the News

251 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

740 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,965 Listeners

Simple English News Daily by SEND7

Simple English News Daily

31 Listeners

The British English Podcast by Charlie Baxter

The British English Podcast

64 Listeners

Thinking in English by Thomas Wilkinson

Thinking in English

95 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

257 Listeners

British English Listening Practice - English Go! Podcast by Chris

British English Listening Practice - English Go! Podcast

21 Listeners

English in a Minute by BBC Radio

English in a Minute

14 Listeners

What in the World by BBC World Service

What in the World

16 Listeners

Learning English For Work by BBC News

Learning English For Work

36 Listeners

Learning Easy English by BBC

Learning Easy English

98 Listeners