Behind the Bra: How Glamorise Bras are Made

Have you ever counted all the pieces in-sum that make up the total of your bra? Not just the straps, cups and band — but the center panel and closures, wings and wires, seam placements and fabric choices. Every day, the bra makers in our in-house design and sewing studio obsess over every little detail on every single size. If there’s one thing the team behind Glamorise bras knows from our 100 years in the biz, it’s that no one-size-fits-all bra formula exists.

Today, we’re taking you Behind the Bra and into our bra-makers’ world to get a taste of how Glamorise bras are made. Keep reading for the story behind our plus-size bras (spoiler alert, there are a lot of fittings along the way from our sewing studio to your closet).

First, We Get Inspired

Every bra starts with inspiration, whether it's the colors of the season or newness on the NYFW runway. But what really inspires us is the women who will wear our bras. Too often, the trends of the day are only translated into smaller sizes, leaving little on-trend options for curvy women who are just as stylish and fashion-forward as their straight-size counterparts. When we have an idea that inspires a new bra design, we want it to work for every woman.

Then, We Get to Work

Before we can sew the first bra of a new style, we have a lot of decisions to make. Will the straps be rigid or stretchy? Should the bra close in the front or back? Can we use our in-house fabrics or does this bra call for something new? Which technologies make the most sense for this bra’s function — moisture-wicking, MagicLift or Wonderwire? With every new consideration, another round of sketches is rendered and discussed with the whole team until everyone is happy with the final direction.

It’s Sewn Here at Our NYC Studio

After the final silhouette is pinned, fabrics purchased and patterns made, the sewing begins. Our in-house design and sewing studio combines time-tested sewing techniques with new computerized modeling for the most precise plus-size bras a pair of hands can make. From cup sizes A to K and bands 30 to 58, we make our own prototypes (no industry standards here) so we can adjust every fit to perfection.

Fitted on Several Plus-Size Women

The fitting process is where the real magic happens. We rely on feedback from fit models across our full size range who aren’t just professionals in their field but understand how a bra should fit. And we’ll fit each new bra on as many plus-size women as it takes to get it right across our entire size range.

Wear Tested on Curvy Customers

Of course, testing Glamorise bras on fit models isn’t the whole of our fit process. We need to hear from the women who wear our bras day after day, too. Every new bra style is tested by at least 20 real curvy women who wear and wash their new Glamorise bra for four weeks to get a feel for it in real life. With their insight, we can tweak even the smallest adjustments between sizes to ensure the right fit for every body before a new bra goes into full production.

And Fitted Again After Production

After the final details have been added, all Glamorise bras are inspected for imperfections and fit-tested one last time to ensure the bra that ships to your home fits just as well as the bra perfected in our studio. This is how we’ve been making and perfecting plus-size bras since 1921 — by listening to the women they’re made for and going back to the drawing board again and again until we get it just right.

Author: Katie Joy Blanksma
Last updated on: 8/12/21