My Bravissimo girl story…

When I first started at Bravissimo I was so nervous and unsure of myself, but my colleagues were kind, funny and nurturing and that gave me confidence at my abilities as a bra fitter. I look forward to going to work every day! I love my colleagues and all the amazing women we meet each day. I meet confident women who know exactly what they want, women who can’t look at themselves in the mirror and everyone in between. It’s unbelievable how a bra can change their life for women, but it does and it makes my job so rewarding.

Helping big-boobed women to find their feel-good fit

This isn’t just about selling bras it’s about making women feel great about themselves. We don’t just fit bras, we listen to women share their life stories or just what an awful day they are having. A good fitting bra or bikini really can make your day, month or year better and the feedback we get from women proves that. We see boobs of all shapes and sizes and it’s about finding the right bra for their unique shape.

I am... passionate, feisty, romantic, gorgeous, honest, creative, flexible, crisp-loving, cheesecake-loving, hard working, honest and unique!
When I’m wearing a well fitting bra (and matching knickers obviously!) I feel sexy and more confident. It’s truly amazing what a good fitting bra can do for you. It just makes clothes look better over your boobs.

A bit crazy, vibrant, fun, passionate, confident, unafraid, thrillseeker (that's why I wanted to do this!)

When did you become a Bravissimo girl? Do you remember your first fitting?
I was about 16 when I first found Bravissimo, but I should've been a Bravissimo girl a lot sooner. I remember my first fitting, I felt so good but I was a bit stubborn - I ended up in a 36J in the Satine because I wanted a padded bra to go under my school shirt like everyone else. Eventually I realised that style wasn't right for me and the fitter was right all along - a non-padded bra with stretch lace gave me a much better shape and I felt more comfortable.

When I went to 6th form I got a Bravissimo shirt, and that's what gave me the most confidence. I was known as the bigger girl at school and I was wearing baggy clothes but when I put the shirt on I was like 'omg I'm a size 16! I have a waist!' - it made a huge difference.

How does a great fitting bra make you feel?
There’s lots of women out there in my size who think there's no-one else like them, but people with big boobs live their normal life too! I want to show other women like me that they are 'normal' - but ‘normal’ is boring - Bravissimo girls should feel extraordinary!!

What does Bravissimo mean to you? How do you want Bravissimo girls to feel?
Bravissimo isn't just a job, it's a way of life. I commute quite far but I wouldn't change it for a thing! The best thing about working in customer services is the people I work with - we're such a friendly bunch and everyone loves everyone!

I can promote the brand as someone who wears it and believes in it, and I can tell customers about it proudly - I want Bravissimo girls to feel how I felt when I first found Bravissimo.

A little bit crazy, spontaneous, fun-loving, friend, sister, outgoing, caring, sensitive, R&B queen, class clown, smiley, positive, bubbly, bundle of joy

When did you become a Bravissimo girl? Do you remember your first fitting?
I’d been to Bravissimo before I worked here, but I’d always been fitted elsewhere each month and thought it must be right. I didn’t start wearing Bravissimo bras until I worked here and always said “I won’t fit in anything, I wish I could fit into this stuff!”. I was wearing a 36C and I’m actually a 30FF!

Before I knew I was a Bravissimo girl, I was gutted I wasn’t big-boobed enough to have any of these bras. I held my body differently and I used to fiddle with my straps all the time! I developed really young, had really big boobs by the time I was 14, so when my friends were stuffing their bras with tissue I was trying to hide mine! For me, it was about how clothes were fitting too, I’d always had issues with buttons and bra straps falling down or I was wearing a moulded bra and it was gaping! Now my silhouette is better and things fit in the right way, I don’t mess with my bra or get double boob - I don’t ever think about my bra anymore! When I first put a 30 back on it felt really tight but now it feels amazing and I know what works for my body! It’s more empowering having the choice to have different styles and what suits me. It depends bra to bra and it’s empowering to know it’s not one size fits all in any way!

How does a great fitting bra make you feel?
When I first got fitted people thought I’d lost weight! You hold your body differently when you’re wearing a more supportive bra. I feel so much more confident.

What’s the most memorable, transformative fitting you’ve experienced?
I fitted someone in my first week and it really touched and inspired me. She was 16 and she was looking for a minimiser bra because she hated her boobs, she said “I want you to flatten them”. She wouldn’t come out of the fitting room and she was wearing a polo neck. But she left feeling really confident about herself and so much different to how she walked in!

What does Bravissimo mean to you? How do you want Bravissimo girls to feel?
It’s all about confidence, regardless of the size!

Feisty, honest, thoughtful, generous, ambitious, driven, chatty, outgoing, feel-good friend, sassy, hype girl!

When did you become a Bravissimo girl? Do you remember your first fitting?
When I was 16 my boobs came out of nowhere! My mum took me to Bravissimo and I got really upset in my fitting as I didn’t love any of the bras. I didn’t feel girly or cute and it was all too much coverage! The girl in the shop offered to contact Head Office and see if they can do anything, so I just bought a practical bra. As I got older I came back to Bravissimo and there’s so many more bras and more choice even compared to ten years ago! We have so much more choice now and I love it!

How does a great fitting bra make you feel?
I used to feel so self-conscious when I was younger and I used to dance. I’d always wear a bra and a sports bra as nothing was right, I couldn’t get a small back to fit me anywhere! I used to go for a 32 back and an F cup, I knew it didn’t fit great and it rode up at the back but I just wanted a pretty bra. I wanted to feel nice and sexy and not in a really covering nude bra.

The choice at Bravissimo now is amazing! I used to be so self-conscious and people at college would take the mick. I brushed it off and now I’m way less self-conscious, people know me now as Hannah and not as Hannah with the big boobs! Being petite, my boobs were always more obvious, but now I feel so confident because of a good fitting bra – I thought I was a 32F and I’m actually a 28GG! The way my boobs look in outfits looks so much better!

What does Bravissimo mean to you? How do you want Bravissimo girls to feel?
My sister is a D cup and we always joke as people think D is a bigger cup size - D isn’t that big and people that think they’re a D usually aren’t!

Funny, confident, brave, loyal, bossy, adventurous

When did you become a Bravissimo girl? Do you remember your first fitting?
My first fitting was when I started in the Solihull shop in 2005. Pauline fitted me and took me from 38DD to a 38GG. It was amazing because clothes hadn't fitted me properly before and I almost hadn't noticed that my shape looked the way it did. I thought “oh I have a waist” and I discovered a figure I never knew I had.

How does a great fitting bra make you feel?
I'd been told when I started working here what Bravissimo was about. It wasn't about selling bras, it was about making people feel better. I didn't know how that was going to happen, but when I was fitted I got it - I knew how I wanted to make people feel! You just feel 'it fits you' it's like the perfect shoes for a dress or the perfect hair for a night out, the bra feels like it was made for you.

What’s the most memorable, transformative fitting you’ve experienced?
I've helped people go from massive size changes before - who think they're a DD to a H - but I don't think it's only the massive changes that make the difference. I think when people go a little tighter in the back and a little bigger in the cup so they're not bulging out the cups and their clothes fit better - they're just as powerful. You see them stand taller, the things they've been worried about for years, the weight lifted from their shoulders (literally). Making women feel amazing does not get old. If I don't sell another bra I don't care, I just want to make women feel amazing.

What does Bravissimo mean to you? How do you want Bravissimo girls to feel?
Bravissimo girls should feel themselves. They should feel fantastic, proud to be a woman, happy about their curves and every lump and bump because that makes them who they are!!!

Strong, passionate, empathetic, determined, mum, competitive, emotional, Disney fan, Disney princess, sporty, black belt in karate!

When did you become a Bravissimo girl? Do you remember your first fitting?
I first discovered Bravissimo when I went to the Chester shop. I was wearing a 40E but when I left I was in a 34HH! It changed my life, I was even planning to get a breast reduction. I remember the first time I wore my new size bra out, the buttons on my jacket fastened properly and I just went home and binned all my old bras! I still pinch myself that I feel so confident now to do this – I didn’t need a breast reduction, I just needed a good fitting bra!

How does a great fitting bra make you feel?
I used to be in the England Karate squad and when I used to go to competition, you were meant to wear a chest guard – but they didn’t have one to fit a Bravissimo girl! It made me feel unusual, I continued but I never felt good. It made me dread the thought of my daughter growing up and having boobs like me. I’d look in the mirror and see the side profile of my boobs and I hated the sight of them! It was Bravissimo that changed how I felt about my boobs. Someone thought I’d lost half a stone after I was fitted, but I was just wearing the right fitting bra.

What’s the most memorable, transformative fitting you’ve experienced?
This is a vocation for me, 12 years ago I fitted someone and she wasn’t confident and now she’s one of our staff! Her confidence has grown and I played a part in her gaining that confidence. She was only 13 then and now she’s been with us for years and I feel proud knowing I played a part in that. On Saturday I fitted a girl who went from a 36E to a 34HH - she felt amazing - it’s not as scary to have that size anymore, it transformed her. I wish Bravissimo was here when I was 19! I now even show my bra to customers to help them feel confident and I’d never have done that 12 years ago.

New customers are always wearing the wrong size bra, people are often a lot smaller than they think they are. Your frame is a lot smaller, you see that feel good moment and they feel so much more confident! It’s about celebrating that big boobs are great and aren’t a problem you have to overcome.

What does Bravissimo mean to you? How do you want Bravissimo girls to feel?
Being a Bravissimo girl to me means feeling good, having confidence and being a woman talking to other women! I feel like I’m in a club and leader of the club in our store - it’s about being yourself and being friendly to strangers!
You never lose sight of how much of an impact you can have on people. Sometimes it feels like there’s magic in our store.