F B P   M E S H .

F B P   M E S H .

B 3.2

I went through an iterative design process, meaning that I went through the process of designing my project while continuously refining, revising and adjusting the concept with the help of user feedback. I chose this approach to be able to refine and improve my project along the way, as this can be achieved through feedback collected in an interactive iterative process involving users.

 

I designed a service for custom made bra design that focuses on making custom made bras more inexpensive, innovative and fashionable. Through the process of researching this subject I focused on the competency areas of Industrial Design to include all areas into the project. I started the process by exploring materials and the topic of bras itself, discovering that wearing the wrong bra size can result in problems like back and neck aches, damage of the breast tissue and a lower self-esteem, especially in women with larger breasts. I thought of an alternative to underwire, splint material, as this material can be molded to fit the body perfectly.

 

I interviewed experts to get inspired, more knowledge and to ask them questions. I spoke with an entrepreneur in the custom made bra industry, a sewing technician and a physical therapist in regards to the splint material.

I started developing my concept and making a first prototype. I researched people’s current experiences with bras via a survey and created affinity diagrams according to their opinions. I was able to further explore and develop the concept and after trying out several techniques I settled on the concept. The concept is a custom made bra of which a unique pattern is generated for each individual by an app and the underwire is made of splint material. I wrote the code for the app and developed a second survey to be able to develop a persona and discover the participant’s opinion on the concept. From there on I was able to develop the persona and a customer journey map.

 

I continued by making my final prototypes, 5 bras, which were all uniquely made for each participant and tested by them. I tested the pressure in one of the prototypes to see the difference in support between my bra and a ‘normal’ bra. I developed a business model, determined the price and thought of how this would work as an actual business.

 

My goal was to make more inexpensive garments that are personalized to fit perfectly, to be able to make a product available to a younger audience.

 

Overall, the concept was received enthusiastically and positively by both participants and visitors during the final Demo Day. I believe that a concept like this is exactly what the bra industry needs, as, in my opinion, there is little innovation in the bra industry. The underwire as we know it can be traced back to 1893 (Vogue, 2019), while I believe better alternatives can be found if more research is done. From my research I can conclude that splint material would be a great alternative to underwire and that a program that automatically creates a perfect sewing pattern would be ideal for the production of custom made bras.