Oftentimes, the disparity between what a wom- an wants and what she gets can be striking. “I’m sitting here, and I’m wearing a fancy suit with designer shoes and a designer handbag—but underneath it all is this torn, ripped, five-year- old bra from Target,” noted Jane Fisher one day in business school. To her, the contrast seemed almost comical. There was a stark difference between her clothes and her bra, and she noticed a wide gap between what she wanted and needed, and what she had. When it came to bras, the only options available to consumers were astronomically priced, impractical, and uncomfortable—or, they were inexpensive and cheaply made. Obviously, something needed to change. Bras have historically been advertised for how good they can make women look, not how good they can make women feel. Extra padding that squeezes and pushes, materials that look great on a shelf, but not under a shirt, and features that make little sense, (who can even reach a strap that adjusts in the back?) do not constitute a good bra. Unfortunately, bra companies just haven’t seemed to get that. Until now. As women begin to demand fit for all tastes and body types from their bra companies, the industry is slowly starting to rise to meet these needs—and there’s one brand at the forefront of the revolution. Founded in 2016 by Jane Fisher and her business partner Jenna Kerner, Harper Wilde is creating a new breed of bra. Made by women, for women, their bras are what women truly want. They’re affordable, comfortable, and free of frills, injustices, and absurdities. Better yet, customers can try their selections on at home, at their leisure, returning those they don’t want. Frequently referred to as the “Warby Parker of Bras,” Harper Wilde recognizes that given privacy and time, bra shopping can be so much less painful. Fisher and Kerner focus on “Lifting Up The Ladies” and changing bras (and bra shopping) for the better—whether that means becoming CEOs in an ironically male-dominated industry, supporting the next generation of young women with opportunities for education, or physically holding up the “ladies” of every woman who wears their bras. The brand is backed by the motivation to challenge every aspect of the hypersexualized and humorously absurd bra industry. Named after Harper Lee and Laura Ingalls Wilder, female empowerment is at its core. From revolutionizing a bra’s smallest design detail, to infiltrating the highest rungs of the corporate ladder, these women are changing everything from how bra straps
All photos courtesy of Harper Wilde
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