All Boobs Welcome: How Harper Wilde Took the BS Out of Bra Shopping

Women are no longer settling for the dated definition of sexy, which was, ahem, written by men.

Today's modern women define sexy for themselves, and this new definition often focuses more on comfort, sophistication, and practicality than on embellishments and embroidery. Modern women are shifting consumer culture by seeking out brands whose products truly fulfill a need, and innovative female entrepreneurs are tapping into this market. One of those needs: taking the BS out of Bra Shopping. In comes Harper Wilde

Built on practicality, efficiency, social awareness, and humor, Harper Wilde has taken the intimates industry by storm since 2017 and is revolutionizing what it means to sell bras that empower women. Its online bra store is disrupting the intimates industry with its minimalist designs and at-home try on purchasing option. Instead of selling an expensive fantasy, the feminist brand introduced three styles of bras (t-shirt, push-ups, and strapless) that are affordable, practical, and reflective of what women really need: to lift the ladies up.

Co-founder Jenna Kerner and Jane Fisher, who met at Wharton Business School, saw a disconnect between what real women were wearing and how dominant intimate brands told women to look. They realized that brands were selling bras by promoting a hyper-sexualized image of women in lingerie and "angels who look unattainably beautiful"; and that this sexualized image of female undergarments does not reflect what women actually wear.

Industry behemoth, Victoria's Secret, used to hold a monopoly on the intimates industry, but is suffering (with market shares dropping 33-24%) due to its inability to adapt to the modern woman's needs. New, young companies that are attuned to what women really want, like Harper Wilde, Aerie, and Fenty x Savage, are taking over the market by focusing on inclusivity, affordability, and practicality.

With the desire to empower women to feel sexy, confident, and comfortable in their everyday bra, Harper Wilde's goal is "to flip the messaging and let women know it's okay - hell, it's even cool - to love your everyday bra." exclaimed Kerner.

Everyday bras for every day women means providing styles in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Each of the three Harper Wilde bra styles comes in sizes 32A- 42F and in four colors to match different shades of nude and for just $40 a piece.

"Don't Let Your Boobs Down"@Harperwilde via Instagram

"From day one of building Harper Wilde, our mission has been to empower women, lifting up ladies everywhere in every step of their lives. We've expanded that, to include lifting up all women, and anyone who identifies with our brand or wants to be a user of our product. It's important to us that we showcase diversity in body type, race, orientation - in any way that we can." said Kerner.

The brand plans to continue to expand its size range and skin tone ranges as the company continues to grow. But, there is more to the brand than just the desire to launch products that reflect what real women actually wear.

Named in honor of Harper Lee and Laura Ingalls Wilder, the brand's "name represents this broader ambition that reaches far beyond bras to represent values of education and empowerment."

What resonates with today's women is a brand that represents them physically, but also emotionally and intellectually. Harper Wilde's bras support not only a woman's breasts but also exemplify women as engaged, socially conscious beings.

Harper Wilde releases Limited Edition bras that reflect or relate to a current social movement or women's issue. These particular bras can come in colors other than the staple nudes and contain a message on the band of the bra that both represents female empowerment as well as humor and attitude.

Past Limited Edition bras include a "When there are nine" in honor of RBG, "Do it anyway" for the record number of women who were elected into Congress in January, "Together" for International Women's Day, "Tough as a mother" for For Earth Day, and "f*ck your laws" in reaction to the recent abortion ban laws.

f*ck your laws. @Harperwilde via Instagram

Proceeds from the limited edition bras are donated to charities that help fuel these women's movements. For example, 50% of the sales of the limited-edition "f*ck your laws" bra, "a not-so-subtle reminder that we must fight laws that put a woman's rights and health on the line," were donated to ARC- South East to support women in the states with abortion bans.

Humor and social consciousness are quite literally woven into the fabric of Harper Wilde.

Kerner and Fisher brought humor into the ethos of the company because they noticed that other brands were "either hyper-sexualized or very serious" and, unlike the picture-perfect illusion of the bra shopping experience, these two founders saw "so many moments of absurdity of what we have to deal with, that we couldn't help but poke fun at the industry a bit."

Harper Wilde believes that "buying bras doesn't have to feel like a TSA screening at airport security. It should be empowering, easy, and if we can really nail it, a little funny too."

If there is anything these two female founders' journey can teach us is that: women's problems are best solved by women. So, grab your friend, find a woman's issue, and tackle it, because there is nothing more important than lifting the ladies up together.