Are You Wearing The Right Size?

Innerwear is a vital aspect of a woman’s wardrobe. Incidentally, the statistics show that only 20 per cent women wear a right fitter bra. Rashi Seth, Founder of Kiraka- Intimate Wears in Gurgaon, gives a peek into the world of women’s personal care

Would you believe if one said that almost 80 percent women wear wrong sized bras? While most of the women may think that what they are wearing is the perfect fit but ask an expert like Rashi Seth, who is a professional consultant on intimate wear and you would know how wrong or right you may be.

An Inward Journey

Hailing from a fashion designing background & born in a family of cloth merchants and her parents being skilled tailors, sizing and designing came naturally to Rashi. Her family upbringing introduced her to the world of fabric, garments, fittings quite early on in her life and by the time she was in college, she was already stitching ladies’ suits. Being young & hailing from the small town of Shimla, there weren’t too many options in inner wear for her to explore. It was in Delhi that she first saw the variety and availability of fancy bras.

It is not just about the size on the brand tag of the bra you buy, but it is ‘the right fit. Two & a half years since I started my venture, I have met only 2-3 people wearing the right bra,” that counts.

“After completing my fashion designing course, I started working in export houses as fashion designer and got to travel which exposed me to the trends and standards of international market. I am a big size girl who was conscious of how people looked at me and was not even confident enough to do my workouts. In India, there is no hand-holding and one can truly struggle with innerwear that offers the right support. After I had my children, my size grew even further. As I further travelled and got fitted, I realised how important it is to wear what you should truly wear as per your size and fit,” says Rashi.

With 23 years of experience in the industry, it was her tryst at leading lingerie brand Enamour that opened up the world of lingerie for Rashi. It enhanced her knowledge of what is available, learnt about other brands, competition, market and understood the garment from the Indian manufacturer’s perspective. The brand had started ‘fitting sessions’ across cities be it metropolitans or B-Towns. This also made her aware of how almost most women, even those around her – sisters, cousins, and friends were all wearing the wrong sizes of bras.

The Leap Forward

Post Enamour and after a brief stint in an export house, it was then that Rashi decided to reinvent and follow her true calling. “I knew what has to be done, understood the product I really enjoyed working with and researched about what I wanted to offer – measurements & sizes. Through my venture ‘Kiraka’ I actually focus on fits and sizing where fittings come before sales. I am relentless in my research. I analyse what people are wearing, where they are wrong and the damage it can cause to their bodies,’’ she adds.

Fashion or Support!

Women often tend to believe that problem is with the body part and not with the bra. Most are unaware about the concept of band & cup which is why most wear wrong sizes of bra and the breasts lose their shape. Limited knowledge and inhibitions both contribute to lack of awareness and many refuse to accept large size as it makes them conscious. Many women are ignorant that the cup size beyond D is also available in the market.

The growing children must be made aware of the accurate fitting and size, instead of following the design fads. A wrong bra size worn for years may develop stretch marks, damage ligaments and cause irreversible damages like sagging of breast. Sometimes bulges, shoulder pain can also be related to the wrong bra size that a woman is wearing for years together.

This feature was first published in the print version of SUBURB October 2019 issue.