Why D cup and up bras can cost more

Have you ever wondered why the price tag of one bra is substantially more than another? If you have a bigger bust, you may have reluctantly tapped your card while contemplating whether or not to make a quick dash to Kmart to find a bra for possibly less than half the price.

Perhaps you did make the quick dash but later regretted it on realising your new bargain bra doesn’t provide you with the essential comfort and support you love. Or, maybe you again discovered that those desirably cheap and pretty ranges don’t actually offer your cup size. 

It may seem unfair, but in reality, higher quality products are usually more expensive. We don’t doubt for a second that cost is awfully important to most but it’s critical to understand why paying more, in most cases, will save you money and time in the long run when it comes to bras. We are lingerie nerds, we have the knowledge and experience to help curvy women and we love to unveil facts so that the next time you go to tap, you will feel confident in your decision and reject the idea that cheap is better.

Quintessentially making a bra in a larger cup size requires a lot more components resulting in time and money and a higher price tag.  It is not possible to create a quality, supportive, comfortable and beautiful bra in a larger cup size for the same price as those found in stores like Kmart and Target.

There is far more involved in the process of creating a larger cup size bra than meets the eye. Good designers know all about ‘grading’ which is used to scale a pattern to different sizes and unsurprisingly costs incrementally more with each size. Additional time is needed to sew on the extra parts of a D cup and up bra and the extra components such as a wider elastic band will add to the cost. The more features a bra has, the more it will cost. 

Without including the really high-end glamour lingerie, it’s clear that the more you pay for the bra, the better it feels, the longer it lasts and the more supportive and comfortable it is.  The premium fabric of a more expensive bra will provide you with a soft second to skin feeling. It will have been carefully cut using a special technique to create smooth edges, preventing any scratching on the skin.

When washed correctly by hand the high-quality bra will have a long and comfortable life, on the other hand, a cheaper bra is pretty likely to quickly deform, become unsupportive and disintegrate in the wash, discolour and even break.  

Wider straps, seamed cups, side support panels, net lining, side slings and sturdier underwires are just a few features that need to be added or readjusted for larger cup sizes. This explains why the process to make these larger cup sizes is so lengthy, sometimes even taking up to 18 months.  

If you’re still feeling a little conflicted between the different price points, here’s some advice that we would love every woman to consider:

1.    Size matters - if you’re an A-C cup spending less on a bra may be okay, but if you’re D cup and up you get what you pay for - a higher-priced bra will offer a fantastic fit and better comfort and support. 

2.   Quality over quantity - Buy three quality, well-fitting bras and rotate them instead of having 10-15 bras in your drawer you hardly wear.

3.   Think ahead - A quality bra is likely to last three times longer, so although the upfront cost is more you will replace less often.