Architecture and 3D Printing Redefining Women’s Bras

The word ‘truss’ has become both the literal and metaphorical influence behind a lingerie line made for women, by women. A ‘truss’ is a structural frame which provides support from below, which is exactly what this unique new line of lingerie is built to do.

In a market that rarely prioritizes women’s comfort, Trusst Lingerie is using 3D printing to redefine women’s bras and provide them with the support they deserve. Rather than relying on underwire and cumbersome shoulder straps for support, the bras at Trusst Lingerie provide 80% of their lift from below, making the wearer far more comfortable.

Trusst co-founders Laura West and Sophia Berman both hold degrees in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon. Over the last two years, they have used this experience to succesfully redesign the structure of a bra.

We spoke to Laura West to get a better idea of how this design came about. “We [the team at Trusst] started by thinking about how current bras work, where we know the problem points to be and what we could do that would potentially address these issues. We went through hundreds of prototypes until we found something that started to work.”

Eight out of every ten women in the United States wears the wrong bra size and, because of this, many suffer from chronic back and shoulder pain.

After spending months creating sketches and mock-ups, the team at Trusst came up with a design that would promote comfort and eliminate the pain that afflicts large busted women. “In the prototyping phase, we used almost every material under the sun. We tried to highlight properties of these materials that would fit the specific support needs on the various areas of the bra.”

In the Fall of 2014, Trusst joined the startup accelerator program AlphaLab Gear. This huge leap provided them with the time and capital needed to get their project up and running.

Since then, Trusst Lingerie has created a line of chic and comfortable bras for sizes 32DDD to 42G. They have been recognized nationally for their innovative approach to an issue that has been plaguing large busted women for centuries.

The team at Trusst is currently talking to larger distribution channels to help get their product out to the masses. And, although no plans are currently in the works, the team is open to the idea of opening a local storefront in the future.