Evelyn & Bobbie

19 September 2022

In our latest edition of the BBA retail survey, the Best of Intima noticed a name which came out strongly in retailers’ comments. We thought it was worth following through, to give stores a proper introduction to the brand.

Having hit the market with its patented seamless and soothing bras in 2014, thanks to a thorough and highly technical approach Evelyn & Bobbie was quick to cover what it identified as a void in the market. Named after founder Bree McKeen’s grandmother and aunt, two inspiring figures in her life, the range of bras offered are designed for all those women who are out there to accomplish something, but also who are simply having to juggle their everyday load and chores. As Bree says: “We exist to participate in the advancement of our industry and culture. Taking your comfort back is of historical significance. Beauty doesn’t exist without purpose.» The Best of Intima noted the great interest specialty stores expressed in this brand and decided to find out more.

How and when did it all start?
Evelyn & Bobbie started in earnest in 2014 with the filing of my first patent. I created thousands of prototypes: everything from jigsaw cut plastic, to 3-D printed netting, and countless versions in between. You can’t imagine how many different things I tried. I started from a place of forgetting everything that was already “known” about bra design; to start from scratch, redefine the problems, to come up with new solutions. My aunt Bobbie, who I named my company after together with my grandmother, used to always say, “If what you’re doing isn’t working, try something new. Not a different version of the same thing, something truly new.” That’s what we did here, and it worked! I used that first patent to raise the money I needed to develop the truly advanced technical product that you can shop today.

What was the initial driving force behind the project?
As a naturally curvy woman, I had a 34 DD by the time I was 16. I felt like the weight of my breasts was a constant load on my shoulders: literally and figuratively. It affected my posture, my daily mindset, and I spent far too much time thinking about my bra discomfort. So, even though I had a very promising future in Finance, I left my job to do something about it. I couldn’t believe that the underwire had been used for 85 years at that point, and now more than 90 years. How, in a world that is full of constant innovation, had women been under the pinching and poking of such an outdated technology for so long? I had to do something about it. I had watched my mother, my aunts and grandmother, and so many women around me suffer in the same way. I knew that something could — and must — be done. If the right people grab a problem by the horns, there are more solutions than problems. I didn’t want my daughter and nieces to grow up with the same lousy options.

Can you tell us about the range of items Evelyn&Bobbie offer?
Evelyn & Bobbie offers four bra support products. Three bras and one smoothing cami. We offer bras that fit from a C cup up to a K cup. But it’s worth noting that we have heard from customers, some with M cups, that our bras fit them too. So, we are very inclusive for the curvy woman. Additionally, we offer three styles of the most comfortable four-way stretch underwear that comes in just two sizes fitting size 0-14 and 16-24. You’ll also notice that we are growing our product assortment very slowly and with great intention. The world does not need any more mediocre products. We test each bra on literally hundreds of women. You will not find another bra company that has such meticulous design practices. I truly believe that we are the leader in the world for data driven design at this time.

Would you say diversity and inclusivity have been founding elements of your brand from the outset?
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, inclusivity has been a core tenet of our founding philosophy. In 2014 when I founded the company, the middle part of the bell curve was shockingly being ignored! So, initially we set out to serve the part of the bell curve that actually made up the bulk of the population. We are so proud to serve the most common breast and body sizes in the United States, Europe, and Canada. But the job of inclusivity is never done. We still have further to go, and we remain committed to growing inclusivity overtime. Keep an eye on us for that. We have exciting things in the works.

You put a lot of research into your designs. Can you tell us about the patented technology behind them?
Our patented technology is profound in its simplicity. It’s called the EB Core. It is a three-dimensional molded sling made out of the most advanced four-way stretch fabrics and bonding technology available in the world today. We took the kinds of technology that are typically used in advanced athletic gear and applied it to an everyday bra that truly feels and fits like a second skin. One of the things we are constantly messaging to consumers is that you must wear the bra for two or three days before you really get the true “custom fit” experience. The EB bra will literally mold to your unique shape and curves as it warms up with your body heat.

What is the True Complexion Palette?
We launched our first bra with inclusive nudes, right from the outset. We’re so glad that we could have been one of the pioneers that made inclusive nudes a standard practice. As with everything we do we took a scientific approach instead. We scanned hundreds of real women and their individual skin tones to come up with a complexion pallet that was as complementary to the widest range of skin tones possible. That’s what our trademark True Complexion pallet is.

We know last year stores raved about the Beyond Bra. What is selling best this year?
Yes, the Beyond Bra is currently our bestselling bra, but not by much. It’s likely the top seller because it has adjustable straps and an adjustable back band, which is more familiar to women. But the new Evelyn bra is quickly catching up. We think that women are learning that Evelyn & Bobbie bras might look like other wire free bras, but once you put them on, they immediately experience the difference. Our pull over styles, which we call step-in styles, like the Defy and the Evelyn, all offer the same separation and beautiful silhouette as the Beyond Bra. So, customers are trying each of our bra styles and finding that they want them all. It really is so exciting to see all styles neck-in-neck with each other. That tells me our rigorous design practices are working.

Why do you think it has taken so long for the industry to come up with innovative solutions for bras?
I think it took so long for innovation in bras because of what I called the inertia of bad ideas. The biggest companies dominated the market with outdated ideas, mostly focused on how a woman looks instead of how she feels. We put the customer at the center of the experiences that we design.

What is the brand’s approach to textiles?
Our approach to textiles is to use the most advanced performance fabrics available in the world today. Everything we make is moisture wicking, anti-odor, four-way stretch, highest quality. We spend a lot more making our products than your average bra company. We believe in being exceptional.

Are your designing and manufacturing processes all based in the same location and can tell us more about them?
What I can say, is that we are side-byside with the Nikes, UnderArmours, and Lululemons of the world. We sit next to the most innovative performance apparel companies in the world.

EB focuses very much on the practical aspect and comfort, do you aim to focus solely on this or are you thinking of introducing any fashion elements?
We have some beautiful fashion innovations coming to you this holiday season so be sure and tune in for that release in October. However, comfort will always be at the core of what we do. We want to provide the basics that a woman can wear every day and feel empowered to live her best life. Lots of people say that. We really live it.

What kind of distribution do you have?
We sell most of our bras online on our own website. We partnered with some of the biggest name department stores earlier on, but found that having a direct relationship with customers is best. And with that high touch experience in mind, we also sell in 170 of the best bra boutiques across the country and Canada. We do not partner with every bra boutique. We choose the very best for each geography and partner with them. We’re very picky about that. We also sell in Rouge Gorge stores in Europe. They’re an amazing partner and we’re so excited about the growth of that business in Europe. Evelyn & Bobbie is actually their only wire free product.

We are hopefully heading towards a generally brighter future. How do you see the future of your brand and your company?
I couldn’t be more optimistic about the world today. I know there’s a lot of challenges that we face that are very real. But my optimism is undying, nonetheless. I am so grateful that I could be a small-town girl born on the sofa, with a dream to make a better bra, and set out to actually make that happen. I am so proud that my use of technology together with creativity has allowed me to build a company where young women can come in, develop a new skill set, grow their careers, and thrive. I am so relieved that my baby girl will grow up in the world free of the underwire. I am so glad that she will not face an ideal that she should look like an airbrushed version of a woman that is not attainable. Instead, she will grow up with the ethos that her comfort is essential to facing the day from a powerful place. That her experience matters. That she doesn’t have to fit or conform to other people’s expectations to live a bold and beautiful life. That’s the EB world that we believe in and the world that we embody.

Evelyn & Bobbie

In our latest edition of the BBA retail survey, the Best of Intima noticed a name which came out strongly in retailers’ comments. We thought it was worth following through, to give stores a proper introduction to the brand.

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