Two Western University Ivey School of Business graduates have a new business, doing away with the discomfort and awkwardness for young girls buying their first bra.
Jessica Miao, 22 and Chloe Beaudoin, 22, are the founders of Apricotton, an online bra company that has created a sports bra for tween girls, that fits better and is comfortable.
“When I was first shopping for my first bra I could not find any that fit my body type, and a year ago I took my 12-year-old sister bra shopping for the first time and the first store we went to was a lingerie store, and it was awkward and unaffordable,” Miao said.
“Even the smallest size sports bras did not fit her.”
Although they did find a department store that offered a package option, Miao said they were all one size fits all and very thin fabric.
From this ‘uncomfortable’ experience spawned the idea for a sports bra better designed for the pre-teens just starting in the bra market.
“The thing that makes Apricotton different is the bras grow as the girls grow,” Miao.
Right now they have three colour options with an elastic waistband and adjustable straps that can be crisscrossed to hide under clothing. The bras also have removable pads so girls can continue to wear the same bra as they develop.
The two entrepreneurs interviewed a number of girls and mothers to find out exactly what they were looking for and not looking for in a first bra and that they went through several prototypes to arrive at the current design.
“I think that the most rewarding part we have girls wearing the bra from the United States and all over Canada, and the reviews we have gotten are exactly what we identified the bra for,” Miao said.
“It’s been really great to see what we want for them actually came to fruition.”
The shop is online and through marketing, on Instagram and Tick Tock the company has even managed to go viral a few times.
“We had a few videos go viral where girls from all over the world for Kenya, the UK and Australia were asking us to ship to them.”
In the new year, the company is looking at how to start shipping internationally and also expanding their product line.
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