Sports bras are having a moment. Nike and luxury athletic wear company Bandier are hoping to bring a bit of custom flare to the undergarments.
The two companies teamed up to launch a customized bra popup shop in Manhattan this week called BraHaus, which allows consumers to choose from a series of styles and print tongue-in-cheek sayings directly onto the bra. Nike joins companies like Victoria’s Secret that have placed an increased focus on sports bras in recent months, bringing style to garments that have historically been designed with a simpler aesthetic.
The bras range from $70-$80 and will be available at Bandier’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City through July 16. Once inside BraHaus, shoppers are directed to a spa-like room on the second floor where they receive a complementary bra fitting, fresh juice and nutrition consultation.
They are then directed back to the first floor, where they fill out a form with the size, style and saying they would like printed on their bra, including “I Run My World,” “Take Care of Your Girls” and “Sweat? No Sweat.”
The bra is then fed through a machine using heat to seal in the print, before being specially packed away.
Ashleigh Hults, social media and content director at Bandier, said the partnership with Nike was designed to help advance a joint mission of female empowerment, noting that since the retailer already sells Nike products, the partnership was a natural extension of their existing relationship. On Wednesday, Nike Women posted a photo of a full-bodied woman stretching in a Nike sports bra, generating buzz online. The post was part of a larger effort to promote the new sports bra line and educate followers about finding the right fit.
According to Nike, 80 percent of women wear the incorrect bra size. Jordan Shakeshaft, a shopper making a customized bra at the store on Thursday afternoon, said that she that it’s been refreshing to see Nike place an emphasis on improving its sports bras, an area she feels has been lacking.
“There’s nothing a woman wants customized more than her bra or sports bra, so I think this is the perfect opportunity for Nike to capitalize on that,” Shakeshaft said. “Nike hasn’t really been known for its sports bras in the past, so this is great they’re showing people there are a lot of different styles out there for different activity types and intensity levels.”
