Designer: It was so hard to find a bra that I started making them
As any woman will tell you, ill-fitting, tight or uncomfortable underwear can ruin your day – but mum and entrepreneur Lydia Morrow knows this pain more than most.
The 23-year-old has always found it difficult – if not impossible – to find a bra that fitted correctly, as high street stores generally only stock smaller sizes that don’t reflect the needs of many larger busted women like herself.
So, fresh from completing a fine art textiles degree at Glasgow School of Art, Lydia decided to start making her own inclusive, made-to-measure bras that would provide comfort, support and style.
And it has quickly grown into a flourishing business – What Lydia Made. In a little over a year, Lydia has sold hundreds of bespoke bras to customers around the country, bucking the trend for one-size-fits-all fashion.
“The only reason I started making bras was for myself,” explained Lydia, who lives in Glasgow and is mum to one-year-old Ransom.
Lydia’s bras can go uptoa38jora52d, and she focuses on providing underwear for women of all shapes and sizes.
Through posting pictures of herself and other models wearing her designs, Lydia has also grown an online community of like-minded women, who are keen to promote body positivity, confidence and inclusivity – something which she believes still isn’t shown in mainstream advertising, despite the average UK woman wearing a dress size 16.
She said: “The thing that really frustrates me is that clothes are generally made for women with smaller chests but then, in underwear advertising, the only women who are depicted have huge boobs.
“It’s almost like the fashion marketing industry can’t make up its mind what you’re supposed to look like – in your clothes you’ll look wrong or out of your clothes you’ll look wrong. It’s just ridiculous.”
She added: “It’s really nice getting to do this job. It’s such an intimate thing to get made for you – people are really open with me and I learn a lot about their lives. “Customers send me pictures of them wearing their new underwear, and it’s one of the most rewarding things in the world to see someone feeling visibly confident.
“It really does feel like I’m making a real connection with every customer I have.”
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It’s like the advertising industry can’t make up its mind what you’re supposed to look like